The Queen of Tennis
by ashleyjaneli
Summary: What happens when two rich families get together? Well, they make an arranged marriage. And Wakamiya Aoi and Fuji Syusuke just happen to be their families' best candidates. And this prodigy is about to change this queen's life. FUJI/OC
1. Arranged Marriage

**Chapter One: Arranged Marriage**

My least favourite jock had his feet propped up on my desk. I hate that. His white tennis shoes were probably cleaner than my workbook, but still. It showed a lack of respect.

I pushed the offending size tens onto the floor and scowled. "Whatever it is, the answer is no."

His friends behind him smirked, stifling laughs until their leader gave them a silencing stare and returned back to me. "How unfortunate; are you sure you don't want to go out with me?"

So this was what it was about. Since last week this guy has been pushing me to go out with him, despite the fact that I didn't even know him. It was the end of the day, and he stuck around with his friends as I was finishing cleaning duty. "Anta dare?" I asked, not caring how rude it was.

"Shouta! Hideki Shouta! Mataku, women…" He sighed.

_Yeah, I'm definitely going to go out with you now,_ I thought sarcastically. I dusted off the faint foot print from my workbook and put it in my school bag before swinging it and my tennis bag over my shoulder. Taking a step back, I bowed, "Gomen-nasai." I didn't even give him a reason for my rejection; all he needed to know was that I was wasn't interested.

Then I quickly escaped from the room, already hearing the howling laughs from his friends. "Why did you even want to go out with her anyway?" One asked.

"She's cute, but she has the fashion sense of a rock." Another said.

"Urusai ne," Shouta snapped. He would probably try and get back at me, but I wasn't worried; I'd deal with it later. The sun was already setting as I walked home, shadows already started to look sharper, as it always did at night. Sounds were magnified, and everything looked so beautiful, night had to be my favourite time of day, or at least twilight.

"Tadaima!" I called as I slid open the door and entered my house. It was big and old with a gate in the front, a typical old Japanese styled house. I slid my feet into slippers and entered.

"Okaeri, Aoi." There was no cheerfulness in her mother's voice. "Training has been cancelled today."

"Why?"

"We have matters to talk about. Make yourself presentable and then we shall talk in my office." This meant, of course, 'Get out of your filthy school uniform and wear something nicer. Then I have to tell you something in my office.' It was probably serious since she cancelled my practice with my trainer, but I couldn't think of anything I had done wrong.

I changed into what my mother would think of as 'presentable' and what I would have thought as 'something never to be worn outside'. This was pretty much any dress with lace on it, but I felt so stiff in it. Knocking lightly on the door of my mother's office, I carefully went inside to find my grandmother there as well. _Oh goodie, _I thought.

"Sit down, Aoi." My grandmother ordered. I did as I was told; careful that within the watchful eye of my grandmother, my posture was perfect in the cold leather seats of my mother's office.

"Recently we have made the decision that you are old enough to get married." My mother started.

Naturally, anybody would protest, and I myself did as well silently. Disrupting my mother would mean causing a storm and a screaming match so I contained myself until I could speak. She continued, "We have met with the Fuji family and together have come to the conclusion that you shall marry their son, Syusuke Fuji."

"You will have a marriage interview on Saturday," my grandmother said.

Now they gave me room to talk, "Syusuke Fuji…" I whispered to myself slowly, processing the name in my mind. "How old is he?"

"The same age as you; Fifteen. A third-year at Seishun Gakuen, otherwise known as Seigaku," My mother answered. "If all goes well, you two will marry on the 29th of February this year, and gain both our families much prosperity."

_So basically they are using both of us to join families only to get both of our families to be richer? Great. _I thought. "And what if I refuse?"

"Then tennis will no longer see daylight in your life and you will resume training as a traditional Japanese dancer." My grandmother stated.

I tried to keep my eyebrow from twitching, I really did, but the memories of Japanese dancing were so rough and cruel in my brain that I couldn't stop myself. "Hai. But what if he refuses as well?"

"I am sure he won't. Everyone wants this after all." My mother said.

"Because of the marriage, you will also be transferring to Seigaku, the same school he attends. Your ridiculous private training for tennis can cease as well since there is a female team." Grandmother said.

I tilted my head down so that my bangs covered my eyes, _they still don't get it, eh? _"'Ridiculous' training brought me to become the youngest Queen of Tennis in history." I said calmly, "At least ensure that my trainer will leave assured that the training I get from this school team will be the same amount of difficulty as her own."

"We can agree on that, however, it still stops even if it does not meet her standards," my mother said.

"Hai, then I will be prepared for the marriage interview on Saturday. Shitsurei shimasu," I said, taking my exit. I calmly walked to my room, unable to notice that my pace quickened until I was soon almost jogging. I quietly slid the door closed after entering my room and sank into my bed, hugging a pillow tightly to my chest.

Only really old families like mine, the Wakamiya family had arranged marriages. I had heard of them before, but never experienced myself. My older brother had married when he was in college, and now he is living here with her as well, since it is tradition for the eldest boy in Japanese culture to live in the house he grew up in with his wife, and with the parents.

I wish I had gotten a paper to learn more about him so that I could be prepared of what he was like, but I guess that that was what the marriage interview was for. At least for him he could just google me on the internet.

I opened my laptop and searched his name up and surprisingly came up with much. "Syusuke Fuji—prodigy?" Those were the main things that came up, and shots of this guy playing tennis. He seemed good, but there was no way to tell if he was this guy or not. _I guess we have tennis in common then, _I thought.

My wrist turned to face upward, giving me the date and the time on my silver watch. This is when I started to panic. Today happened to be Thursday, which meant that the marriage interview would be in two days. When I told my mother and my grandmother that I would be prepared for the interview—that was supposed to mean that I would find a dress to be presentable and prepare ways to convince him that we should get married. They must have been pretty eager about this marriage to arrange the interview so quickly.

Life had just gotten a lot more complicated.

XXXX

Today was the day.

I spent Friday not preparing, but training. Tennis had to be a part of my everyday life, and I still had to practice every day, marriage interview or no. My grandmother could just live with it. Besides, this was how I cooled down, let my nervousness out. She held high expectations, which made me want to see my brother as well for advice.

His words of wisdom: '_Go with it. There is no way to get out of it once they plan it, so just go with it. That's life, and all you can do is learn to love the one your set up with. Ganbare, Aoi!' _It helped, I guess. But I wasn't in the marriage to fall in love. I was in it for tennis—if I didn't do this, it would mean saying good bye to the one thing I held dear.

Even if this marriage interview was just 'considering the possibility of marriage', it was clear that the deal was already done on our part. I didn't understand either. Usually marriage interviews were held with people from ages 22 to 30 that had to interest in finding a partner. My brother had been 22 when he had gotten set up into one. It was true that I had no interest in finding anyone that could be in a relationship with me, but I was still fifteen! And so was he!

_What are they thinking? _I thought, referring to my mother and grandmother. She had probably been the one to suggest it, and then, with her forceful elderly power, convinced my mother and travelling business-man father that this was the right choice. We would still be given months to get to know each other during the course of our parents planning the marriage if we both agreed, but still. _Mataku, I feel like I don't want to do this more and more,_ I thought, and then was quickly reminded of tennis.

It was an hour before we were supposed to leave for the marriage interview, and the hot sunny day left me sweating with nervousness as our maids got me ready. I really didn't want to call them maids, but that was the only thing that would really suit them. They were hired for the purpose of taking care of our house and our needs, despite how ridiculous it was.

My hair was being done before putting on whatever they had gotten for me. I felt fingers running through my below the shoulders-length hair as well as many hair brushes. They did many known things to my hair, sprayed at it, clipped stuff in. When I was finally able to open my eyes, it turned out that they had put my hair into a bun with a flower on it as well.

They had left my wispy bangs alone, I noticed as they ordered me to close my eyes again after letting me see my hair. _I'm doing this for tennis, _I repeated in my mind as my maids got me dressed.

I wondered whether or not they would put me in a hakama or a kimono. Oba-sama definitely would not pick an American-style dress. No, it would be a hakama or kimono. Yukatas were too informal; my best guess is that it would be an extremely formal kimono.

I was right as they allowed me to open my eyes and I examined myself in the mirror. "Oba-sama," I said in surprise, seeing that she had come.

"This kimono used to be mine, but now it can be yours. Wear it well." She said this with a warm smile, something I didn't get often from her cold stare.

A red kimono with a gold obi fit the girl in the mirror well. Petals from different coloured flowers danced across the sleeves of the kimono in red, white, and gold colours. I could tell that the threadwork was amazing, that the kimono had costs a lot. It looked pretty, but I couldn't tell the price with my eyes.

"A-arigato," I said, not knowing what else to say.

Her expression turned cold again. I guess I failed the test. "A kimono worth one million yen, and passed through the family. Win him over in this, Aoi, and don't fail me again."

_Again? Oh great, thanks, Oba-sama. _I thought, suddenly feeling bad.

"Oi!" Sorry to ruin your beauty session, but you're going to be late if you don't leave now." My brother said, poking his head through the door.

I lifted up my left hand to examine the time but found that my watch was no longer there. We left in a hurry anyway, trusting his judgment anyway. I gazed out the window as we drove, staring out at the Japan scenery, which would always keep me interested.

We rode through the city for abut fifteen minutes. It was still bright outside, just passed noon as we stopped outside a hotel. I didn't know what to expect as my nervousness grew in my stomach. My footsteps echoed on the tiles inside the hotel as we made our way to a garden where three people were already waiting for us. I didn't want to say anything, I didn't want this to be about me, and I wanted to get out.

"Sorry for making you wait," My mother bowed, "I am Wakamiya Nadeshiko, this is my mother Wakamiya Haruka, and my daughter Wakamiya Aoi."

They bowed as well, "I am Fuji Ren, this is my wife Fuji Yoshiko, and my son Fuji Syusuke. I hope we can make this marriage work."

"Why don't we give Aoi and Syusuke time to get to know each other before their decision?" Yoshiko asked. _As if it were our decision, _I thought, but the thought didn't betray my face.

I stood still as everyone nodded, leaving the two of us alone. Lifting my head, I took a good look at Syusuke. He was wearing a dark suit that had obviously been ironed and well-cared for. He had well-layered light brown hair that covered most of his forehead with a calm expression on his face as his eyes were seemingly closed from light smiling. His eyes weren't closed I guess, because he walked to the swaying bench and sat down without bumping into anything. I joined him.

"So," I started, "What do you think about the marriage?"

"I think it's amazing," he said with a smile. Flowers practically bloomed off him; it was a real prince-like smile. His words made me almost gag though. He thought this marriage was _amazing_. What kind of response was that? I turned away as I felt my cheeks heating. Any girl would blush from that comment.

"You _want _to get married." I stated, almost in disbelief.

"Hai."

"Why?"

"My family really wants it."

I shook my head at his logic, "That's not right."

"Demo, I think that if it makes everyone happy, then it is right. Don't you want to get married?" He asked.

"Like I have a choice," I grumbled. "Don't you think we're too young? I mean, we are still in junior high!"

"Most people say I look eighteen though," he chuckled.

"Anyway, if you want to get married than I guess it's set."

"You want to get married, too?"

"As if!" I said, realizing a second too late that my voice sounded rather snobby. I blushed and turned my head down, "My brother got into an arranged marriage at 22, why do we have to do this when we are still 15?"

"I don't know, but if it helps our families, don't you think we should do it?" Fuji said, "Besides, it's not like we won't learn to love each other."

"You're acting too mature about this," I muttered.

"What's your favourite colour?"

_Now we get to questions? _"Blue."

Fuji smiled, "Like your name," he remarked.

"Aoi," I whispered my name. Throughout my whole like I was so blue-centered. My favourite colour, my eyes, my navy hair.

"Food?" He continued.

"Ramen or crepes."

"Favourite sport?"

"Tennis."

"Heh, something we have in common."

I turned to look at him. "Really? I think I need to play you soon then."

"Then is it safe to say that you are Wakamiya Aoi, the Queen of Tennis?" Fuji said.

My head resumed its position, which was face down. "How'd you find out?"

"Internet."

"Then are you Fuji Syusuke, the prodigy?"

"Hai, but I wouldn't exactly call myself a prodigy."

I processed this through my mind. He must be really good then. Years before I was born, they introduced something new into tennis. Individual ranks. There was Class A to D and everyone started at Class D. Then when they came third to first in a tournament for their current class, they moved up to one rank, eventually getting to A. But A was the hardest, where the toughest people were. And even in Class A, there were many different ranges of skill. They held many tournaments around the year where people entered individually, and you had the chance to improve your class. They also made the dates so that they would not clash with junior or high school tournaments.

Many people from Class B try to win tournaments to get into Class A. Mostly because if you are in Class A, you are certified to participate in the Queen/Master qualifier. Around the world, they held a tournament at the end of the year for those in Class A who want a chance at becoming the next Queen or Master of their continent.

They held one Queen/Master qualifier in every continent on the same day. This would decide the best female and male of each continent. The female and male who won the tournaments would go against the Queen and Master of their continent. If they beat them, they took their place as Queen or Master of that continent for a year. If they lost, well, they lost.

Then at the very end, the Queens and Masters of each continent would go against each other to see who was better. Queens against Queens. Masters against Masters. This would allow the board members to rank the Queens and Masters. Oh, did people love ranking. They even put the best Queen and best Master against each other at the absolute end of everything to see who was better. And well, so far, the best Master hasn't lost once.

Because he was way better than me.

I've seen him play before. Been right beside him when he was playing. For the past two years, I have been his opponent to see who was better: the best Queen or the best Master. The odds were never in my favour, however. He was just too good, that American. Too fast. The game ended in fifteen minutes. This year I was aiming for at least twenty. And no more love games.

"What class?" I asked him.

"A." This didn't surprise me. This genius everyone was talking about was probably Class A for a few years now.

"But that's nothing compared to you," he said with his calm smile, "You made Class A when you were in grade four, correct?"

"Hai." That was true. I had been training for traditional Japanese dancing when I discovered tennis, something I actually liked. Something I was good at, and something I could always anticipate. That was when I decided to get better and train.

"And you became Queen of the Asian continent when you were…"

"Hai, thirteen." I was able to keep my position as Queen for two years now, the first Japanese Queen. But the Master, who was American, James Steiner, had kept his position longer. He was a twenty-eight year old who couldn't graduate from college. And yet, he was still so much better than me.

"The youngest Queen in history," he remarked, snapping me out of my train of thoughts.

"Betsuni," I muttered. "You're pretty amazing yourself though. All over the internet." I chuckled, "Anyway, when is your birthday?" I asked him this time, changing the subject.

"February 29th."

I blinked in surprise, "A Leap Year baby. Does that mean that if we got married than it would be on your birthday?"

He nodded, "That would be nice."

"How do you celebrate your birthday anyway?"

"It's only proper every four years, but usually if it's not a Leap Year than we celebrate a day before." Fuji said.

"My birthday isn't that special. Actually, it's pretty weird. March 14th."

"White Day." He remarked, "Then I guess guys would have to give you something more than a confession, right?"

I blushed, "I guess."

Cursing, I moved the sleeve of my kimono up on my left hand to reveal a charm bracelet. "It snapped again," I explained. "Oh well—"

He took it from my hands, "I can fix it if you want."

"That's alright, it is useless now anyways. Been snapping for months, that thing," I said, taking a piece of string from my pocket and the bracelet back from him. "But I like the charm." Then, I snapped the charm off of it and hooked the string onto it. I handed it back to him and tried for a smile, "A really weird gift from our meeting. Put it on something or if you don't like it, throw it away when I'm not looking."

"Thank you," He said, "I won't throw it away. I was going to ask if I could keep it anyway," Fuji said, putting the charm with the string attached into his pocket. The charm was about a quarter of the size of really big pebble, but not big enough to be a rock. It was a silver crescent and a sun joined together.

This surprised me, but also brought a real smile onto my face. Our parents returned then. "Alright then, have you come to your decision?" Their eyes were pleading in a dignified way.

"Hai," Fuji said in his same cheerful and calm tone. "We have decided to come together in marriage."

No one acted surprised and no one was filled with joy. At least, no one showed it. They just accepted our decision with pleased smiles and took us both away after we shared contact numbers. They told us that I would be in the same class as Fuji and he would have to spend his spare time with me. My mother even took my phone from me and put his number on speed dial.

"Ne, Fuji!" I called as we were about to separate to our different homes. "I can call you Syusuke now, right?"

He smiled, "Mhm, Aoi." We departed then, going back to our own home.

"Since I am his fiancé now, that means that I am transferring to Seigaku, right?" I asked on the ride home.

"Hai."

I grinned and pictured Shouta when he would find out of my transfer. _One less problem to deal with._

…

Copyright © 2012 by Ashley Li. All rights reserved.


	2. Deal

**Chapter Two: Deal**

I wanted to crawl up into a corner and die.

My trainer and I had been scoping out the Seigaku female tennis club on Monday during the morning to see their practices, and neither of us was impressed. "Watanabe-sensei," I said, "Oba-sama and Okaa-sama are going to cancel our training together. There is no way I can join this club."

Their struggling faces as they ran made me feel sick, especially seeing the ones that merely walked. I counted five laps around the court before all of them crumbled into moans. "I understand," She said. "I'll figure out a way. This is my last day as your trainer, so the least I can do is set you up with something good."

We paced back and forth, attempting to brainstorm an idea. "I got it," She exclaimed. "Let's go, Aoi-chan."

"What?" I asked, following her rushing pace. The sun streaked in the air, it was hot. Seishunn Gakuen was a big school with a good reputation, different from what I was used to.

We arrived at a different court, this time it was filled with boys and one female coach. Their training seemed harder. All of them were running at a good pace as the coach and someone else timed them. They were doing drills at the moment. "What are we doing here?" I asked Watanabe-sensei. She just entered the court and walked towards the coach.

I spotted Syusuke and hoped for dear life that he didn't see me as he ran. He was wearing a blue and white Seigaku uniform along with seven others, probably the regulars' uniform. "Excuse me; are you the coach for the Seigaku male tennis club?" Watanabe-sensei asked.

"Hai, I'm Ryuzaki Sumire, how can I help you?" The coach was dressed head to toe in purple with a brown ponytail sticking out. She looked like she was in her sixties, but also looked very wise.

"I am Watanabe Shizuka and this is Wakamiya Aoi. She is transferring to Seishunn Gakuen today and would like to join the tennis club, however, as her trainer I do not approve of the training she would undertake with the female tennis club." She said, "Your boys seem to be keeping up a good training pace, one that would rival my own schedule, so I would like to propose an idea.

"Would it be possible for Aoi-chan to train with the male tennis club?"

"_What?_" I threw my hand over my mouth immediately, hearing the volume of my voice. Many of the boys turned their heads toward our direction. _Damn! _I thought, turning away from all of them in hopes that no one would try to recognize me.

"Shall we discuss this matter inside?" Ryuzaki-san asked.

We all nodded and went inside the school and eventually inside an office. I went to the far side behind her desk to stare outside the window. My reflection gazed back at me, however. Wavy navy hair that just went passed my shoulders and wispy bangs that went across my forehead, seeming to be longer in the middle was my reflection. But more than anything, my eyes. They weren't pretty, but were definitely something to look at. You would think that blue eyes would look nice, but in my case it was the complete opposite. They were ice blue and almost glowed, but in a ghostly way. My pale skin and almost black hair didn't help either. Apparently I emitted an aura when I played tennis. _Sometimes I wonder if my mother knew I would be so…blue-centered. Especially the eyes…maybe that's why she named me Aoi._

I was wearing a white t-shirt that had a cute snowman in the snow on it. I loved the top so much. The snowman t-shirt was accompanied by track pants. My regular outfit for any day.

"What exactly do you mean by 'train with the male tennis club'?" Ryuzaki-sensei asked.

"Exactly as I said. I wish for Aoi-chan to be able to join the male tennis club for training. Of course as a girl she would not be able to take part in matches, but just the training and scrimmage is enough, and a lot better than what the female team can offer." She said.

_Watanabe-sensei, to go so far…._I thought. Ryuzaki-san considered this and spoke, "It is true that no one would ever allow Wakamiya-san, if she were to join the male tennis club, to participate in real matches or the Nationals. However, I am sure that she could practice with us—"

I started to smile. "—if—"

But it quickly disappeared. "—she is able to win a match against two of the three Seigaku regulars I pick. If this happens, then Wakamiya may be allowed to train with not only us, but as a regular.

She continued, "But even if she were to succeed, it would not be official. She would merely wear a Seigaku regular uniform, practice with them, and attend the tournaments. She would not play unless an extreme emergency appeared. " Ryuzaki said, "Will you agree to this? I am sure that the regulars' training is quite fit for the Queen of Tennis."

"I'll do it," I said immediately, ignoring the call on my title.

"Then we will have all the matches tomorrow. There will be one in the morning and the other in the afternoon, and if you still need to play another match, the day after tomorrow in the morning." She said.

"Who will I be playing against?" I asked, staring out the window to look at the regulars.

"Echizen, Inui, and Fuji."

"Fu-ji," I said slowly. _I don't want to play Fuji yet. I don't know why, but I do know that I want to play him—some other time. _"Then may I play Echizen and then Inui first?"

"Sure. I would have put you up against Tezuka, but I believe that he needs a break from serious matches like the ones that will come up with you. Echizen, Inui, Fuji, and Tezuka are our best four." Ryuzaki said, "It would be a good idea to watch the practices today to get a good look at their playing styles."

"Hai, then it's a deal."

We left the room and went back to the courts. I felt bare when Watanabe-sensei said her good bye, her 'mission' complete. I didn't know what to do, and felt awkward, but Ryuzaki-san snapped me out of it. "The freshman is Echizen Ryoma, the one you will play in the morning. The taller one with the glasses is Inui Sadaharu, the one you will play in the afternoon. Fuji Syusuke is—"

"—I know who he is," I interrupted before realizing my mistake and interruption. "Sorry."

"That's okay. How do you know Fuji?"

"Um…he's kind of my…uh…fiancé." I muttered the last word quietly. "And I don't really want to play him just yet so hopefully I can get past Echizen and Inui."

"Fiancé? I was unaware that he had one," she said, "When did this happen?"

"Last weekend," I said, "It was arranged so don't get any ideas."

"Sou ka," Ryuzaki-san said, "Then why don't we bring him here?"

"Regulars! Gather around!"

_Damn, they were coming. _I looked at my options. Running and hiding would seem weak and shy, which I was definitely not. I think. Bouncing up to them seemed too weird, something I would never do. My best option: stay right there and wing it.

"Eh? Who's that?" I hear girls passing by say.

"Kawaii!"

"Yeah, she's cute, but look at what she's wearing! The snowman is just creepy! And look, she's wearing track pants! Talk about a fashion sense of a rock!"

I decided that I didn't want to face that way anymore and turned to the gathered regulars. Yippee. "Aoi? What are you doing here?" Syusuke asked.

"I go here now, remember?"

"But why in the morning?"

"I needed to scope out the tennis clubs."

Ryuzaki-san cleared her throat and everyone looked at her as she explained the situation again. I looked at the ground as she talked, waiting for their response. "Interesting," Someone with rather spiky hair asked. "I'm Momoshiro Takeshi. Yoroshiku, senpai. How about playing a one set match with me?"

I shook my head, "I have to gather my information on these three," I said, nodding my head towards Echizen, Inui, and Syusuke.

"No fair! I want to play the Queen!" A guy with dark red hair said. He had a bandage on his right cheek, grinning. "I'm Kikumaru Eiji, yoroshiku, ne?"

I learned all of their names and got acquainted with everyone until Ryuzaki-san ordered them to get back to practice. "Ryuzaki-sensei," Oishi said, staying. "Won't other girls want to do what Wakamiya-san is doing once they see?"

"Probably. But for us to even think about giving them the same offer would have to be because we think that they can beat a Seigaku regular. None of them are ready yet, and they seem to be having trouble with their training already, they couldn't handle ours." She said. "That's what I would tell them."

"What about the principal?"

"I'll convince him. He won't mind as long as she doesn't partake in real district matches with the regulars." Her eyes twinkled, "This being if she beats two of the three regulars."

"Hai."

I turned away from their conversations and watched the team finish their practice. Echizen had a Twist Serve, Inui was a data collector, and Syusuke had a tripe counter. Inui would be fairly easier to overcome, but apparently Echizen also had a one-footed Split Step and could accomplish Drive A,B, zero-shiki drop shot, and a Buggy Whip Shot. This would be interesting to play against.

It was my turn to take leave as they started cleaning up the court. I changed into the Seishunn Gakuen female uniform which consisted of a regular sailor fuki style with the colours light green and a light red bow. Not exactly my most favourable choice for colours, but what could you do?

"Aoi!" My head jerked to the sound of my name as I came face to face with Syusuke and Kikumaru.

"Hai?"

"You're in class 3-6 right? Eiji and I are as well. We thought we would escort you around for the day, and besides," he paused to whisper into my ear, "they're watching."

I froze and waited a minute before glancing to the side. He was right; I could see men near the gates of the school watching us, probably ensuring that we got to know each other. "Mataku, they would go this far." I muttered, "Well, arigato. Kikumaru, can I call you Eiji?"

"Mochiro, A-o-i!" He said, pronouncing each syllable of my name.

They guided me through the halls, pointing out places as they passed our way to homeroom. Once we got there, the teacher asked me to stay outside until he called upon me, so I waited, sitting on the floor in the empty, silent hallway, not knowing what to think.

The sliding door of the classroom opened as the teacher, Aizawa-sensei, waved me inside. I quietly stepped into the classroom, my pace uneasy. Aizawa-sensei wrote my name on the board as I spoke, "Konichiwa. Atashi wa Wakamiya Aoi desu. Yoroshiku."

"Kawaii!" I heard around the room. Well, that was new. Maybe it was because they hadn't seen me outside of school yet, or because they hadn't talked to me yet. Otherwise they would most likely think I was weird, and weird I was. As a child, I never fit in with the girls. They always talked about gossip, always played Truth or Dare. But frankly, I didn't like any of those things. It was always tennis. And always alone.

I was told to take the seat in the back near the windows and did so, Syusuke on the other side of the room, but Eiji beside me. "Oh? I get to sit beside Aoi? Lucky." He said with a grin.

We continued throughout the day, Syusuke constantly beside me whenever he could be, mainly because of the men outside. _Men in black, _I thought, chuckling to myself, _Never a good thing. _I watched them all play, and got a general idea of all their moves, that by the time they were done with afterschool practice, I was almost confident that everything would turn out all right tomorrow.

"Let's go home," Syusuke said as they finished up.

I thought this over for a moment, confused. "Your house is in the completely opposite direction from mine."

"We can still carpool and drop you off first."

_Why? It would take you longer to get back to your house than normal…_I thought, but went along with it as the freshman started picking up the balls around the courts. "Sure, but let me grab my tennis bag first." I didn't exactly know why I brought it today, but I never left anywhere without it.

I went inside the court to grab my bag, the cool evening air pricking at my arms. I picked up my bag and started walking towards the exit when a voice appeared from behind me. "Chotto matte."

I turned to look at the rough voice and found a teenage boy, my age, looking at me with a grudging look. "Anta dare?" I asked rudely, giving him my own cocky look.

His eyebrow twitched, "Hideki…Shouta!"

"Hideki…Shouta…." I said, processing the name in my mind slowly. Fuzzy insignificant memories surfaced. "Hideki Shouta…" The memory got clearer until I recalled the evening a few days ago, "Oh! Sou ka! I remember now, you're the guy who couldn't stop asking for a date!"

His face grew angrier, but I cut him off. "Why are you here?"

Shouta stepped closer to me threateningly, "To pay you back for your answer."

I didn't even blink, but instead doubled over laughing. "Pay me back? With what?" My laughter stopped as he grabbed my arm and flung me aside. Closing my eyes, I rolled on my shoulder when I hit the ground to lessen the impact.

My hand moved towards my mouth as I got up and wiped away the spit that was at the corner of it. He angered me, so much that I ignored the pain from a new burn mark on my shoulder and grinned, a nice cocky grin, "Heh… You're weaker than you look."

"Weak?" He asked, taking a step towards me again.

Syusuke stepped in front of us, appearing suddenly, "Last time I checked, it was always rude to hit a lady."

"And who are you?" He said, people starting coming over to watch now.

"Nothing but a concerned fiancé," Syusuke replied calmly. My grinned lowered; did he have to state our relationship out loud?

Murmurs spread through the tennis club as Shouta's face got more serious. "So this is why you said no, huh? Well then, why don't we play a match?" His attention had now turned to Shouta.

He swung his tennis bag to hold it in his hand now, "If that's what you want."

"Taking all the pleasure for yourself, Syusuke? Let me play him." I glared at Shouta, "Unless you can't handle a match against a girl like myself." My eyes dared him to protest.

"Fine, one set match."

"I could use some light playing. Of course," My eyes glinted, "You won't be the one having it so easy."

He scoffed, "This match will be over in ten."

"Indeed it will be, but I won't be the one losing." With a last glance at him, I turned to Syusuke, whose eyes were open. Blue. A nice shade that suited him, my favourite colour, my name.

"You shouldn't need to play him," Syusuke said, shaking his head.

"Daijobu," I grinned, turning back to fuming Shouta as we got on the court, my dark blue racquet in hand. "Smooth," I said, spinning my racquet. It landed on the A, right side up. "Service."

"End."

I tossed him the ball anyway, "I'll give you the serve." Then as he bounced the ball and made his serve, I started the timer on my watch, "Time starts now."

…

Copyright © 2012 by Ashley Li. All rights reserved.


	3. Aniki

**A/N: I have been so confused lately. Shusuke, Syusuke, or Shuusuke. How do you spell his name? Originally I thought it was Syusuke. Then Prince of Tennis Wiki said Shusuke so I went with that. But then MAL said it was Shuusuke, which has more Google hits. And yet, Shysuke has more fan hits and fanfiction hits.  
Whatever, I'll just go with Syusuke. **

Chapter Three: Aniki

Hideki Shouta played one violent game of tennis. I had the urge to yell, "That's not safe you know!" every time he aimed at my elbow, knee, shoulder, or ankle. It only got me more annoyed though. That he could live with playing such rough play. That I was putting up with it. I was playing, I had to make a decision. Finish it quickly or purposely lose until it was 5-0 and then win. Dominate or let him on and then crush his dreams.

"F-fast!" I heard the freshman say as they watched his service game.

It wasn't fast though. In fact, it was rather slow. And I was going to make that apparent as well. I chose to dominate. "How was that?" Shouta asked, an evil grin plastered on his face as he swung his racquet around, knuckles white.

He turned away, smirking. "The Queen of Tennis can't keep up with it, can she?"

I sighed, "Too slow, Shouta, much too slow. How do you expect to become a pro with this kind of weak serve? Kame-san." (**A/N: Kame-san = Turtle.**)

"What was that?" He asked, suddenly enraged.

"You heard."

Yeah, I was being rude. But apparently I got cocky when I played tennis. Or perhaps just a little snarky against those who need some sense knocked into them. At least I could channel that anger into my plays and not self-destruct. This was something Shouta hadn't learned yet.

I pressed on, a wicked grin on my face, ice eyes glowing. "Much too slow," I closed my eyes, "I don't need my eyes to return it."

He growled and threw the ball in the air for a serve, anger pulsing through his veins. _There goes 10% of his concentration. _I thought. The serve came again, but I returned it this time, to the very edge of the court.

My eyes still closed, I said, "15 all."

Shouta self-destructed during the game, more than I had anticipated. His control got more and more off, his serves going out. "Sugoi, the Queen of Tennis! She's not even sweating!" One freshman stated.

"Of course! The Queen wouldn't waste her time on this guy! I would know, with my two years of tennis experience!"

I blocked them out, not needing their comments going to my head. The praise felt nice, but it was only natural. I worked hard to get to this state. He started hitting more and more net balls; they didn't even go over so it could be a drop shot, not even a cord ball. "Game and match, Wakamiya Aoi, 6-0."

We walked towards the net, intending to shake hands, but instead he swung his racquet towards my face, feinting a hit. The racquet was inches from my face, but I didn't blink. "Kowai, kowai," I said sarcastically. "Watch where you swing your racquet, Kame-san."

I could feel my personality coming down to earth as I put my racquet away and started walking with Syusuke. Scratching my head sheepishly, I turned to him, "That might be the worst side of me," I said, "When I'm up against cocky bastards like him."

Feeling eyes on me, I turned to find Inui and Echizen staring at me. I didn't try during the match, but I still gave them some idea of my abilities. I didn't know whether or not that was good or bad. Tomorrows matches would be interesting. _Sorry, but I'm going to win. _I thought as we drove to my house.

"Aoi, are you hurt?" Syusuke asked me in the car.

"Not really," I said, rubbing a burn mark on my shoulder. "It'll be good if I put some medicine on it. Daijobu dayo."

There was a moment of silence as we both stared out opposite windows of the car. The sun had started to set, reminding me that the day was almost over. A vibrating object jerked at my leg, my cellphone receiving a call. "Moshi moshi?" I said into the speaker.

"Wakamiya?" Ryuzaki's voice asked on the other end.

"Hai?"

"Echizen has chosen not to play you tomorrow. He says he wants to wait for a different occasion, so you will be playing Kikumaru."

"Eiji? And what kind of play does he have?"

"Acrobatics. He'll be who you are playing in the morning. Ganbare, Wakamiya."

"Hai, Ganbaremasu. Ja." I closed the phone and returned it to my pocket, meeting Syusuke's look of inquiry. I explained the situation as the car came to a halt at my house, my queue to get out of the car.

"Thanks for the ride," I called as they drove away. And as they did so, I got the slightest feeling of sadness. That maybe, I didn't want to see Syusuke drive away. But that wouldn't make sense. Because in reality, I had only known Syusuke for a week. 7 days. How do you fall in love with someone in 7 days? Maybe it is something only he could accomplish, and maybe I would fall in love with him someday, maybe I was falling in love with him _right now_, but if I did…well, I didn't really know what to think of that.

Sure, it would be a good thing for the families. A good thing for me. It would give an excuse to say that I was over _him._ Yukimura. That I had 'found someone else'. It would be good. But did I want to fall in love with anything else but the beautiful art of tennis?

Those were mostly the thoughts I pondered as I slowly walked up to the door of my house, footsteps echoing through the court yard, a blank face giving me a cold demeanour, but head in a frenzy of thought. Then, I slid open the door to be greeted by a chest.

It was one of those oh-my-gosh-I-can't-believe-she-didn't-see-that moments. Like when you ride a bicycle and hit a car when you aren't looking. I was the bicycle, and the guy in front of me was the car. It's the consequences of being in a train of thought. You might bump into a car or two.

I looked up to snap at my brother but instead find the messy black hair and green eyes of Kirihara Akaya glaring at me right back. "That's rare," he sneers, "You bumping into someone."

"Urusai, Seaweed Head." I grumbled.

His face softened as mine did, seeing that it's the regular conversation between us. I continued to go inside, slipping out of my shoes and into slippers. "Tadaima!" I shouted before turning to head up the stairs.

The thoughts I used to have of Syusuke disappeared and filled my head with thoughts of Akaya. I glanced down to my watch to find the date. March. It was already March. This meant that for a month, my dear child hood friend Akaya would be staying with his family in my house for a month. It was just something our families did. And in October, I would go to their house with my family as well.

Akaya and I were certainly rude to each other. Our relationship was complicated. He was like an older brother to me, and I a sister to him. I called him Aniki most of the time because truthfully, he acted older than me when times came down to it. And he called me Aneki because I was older. By a year.

He followed me to my room. "So I heard that you are engaged to Fuji Syusuke."

"Yeah. And?"

He grinned, "That means I'm going to be best man, right?"

"Hai, hai."

"But that guy…he's something else."

I pretended not to care about the comment and sat on my desk, ready to do what was left of my unfinished homework from study block. And now Syusuke was back in my thoughts. He was that good that Akaya would love him already?

"Does Yukimura know?" I asked.

"Still love him, eh?" Akaya asked, inviting himself to sit on my bed. The gesture reminded me that I should have snapped at him for entering my room without permission or pardoning himself inside. I guess that meant that I was getting softer on him. "You want me to tell him? Casually mention it? Get him jealous?"

My eyebrow twitched for a fraction of a second as I stopped writing my homework, spinning the pencil in my hand. "Maybe? Slightly?" Wrong answer. That was not the cold and snappy response I should have given to Akaya, my dear, proud Aniki. But I wanted Yukimura to notice and that was the only way.

"What a love sick girl!" He exclaimed. "Seriously, what happened to the cold girl I know and love?"

"And what's even worse," Akaya added before I could give my response, "is that you both love each other! Actually, it's rather annoying. When are you two going to just go out?"

"Never," I snapped. Yes, Yukimura Seiichi and I would never go out. Even though we both know that we happen to still like each other, going out was just never an option. We tried it; it didn't work out because nothing happened. We dated for about six months and our relationship never grew than the weak bud it was. So why can't we get over each other? Who knows.

I sighed, "Maybe I can fall in love with Syusuke and get over Yukimura. Be in love again. Being in love is nice."

"Well you guys are already on a first name basis," he remarked. "Are we allowed to talk about something else? You are so bipolar. You are cold and snappy and big sister-y to me one moment and sighing about your love life to me the next. Pick one."

"You aren't any better," I said with an urge to punch him. But I didn't give any reason after that as to how he isn't any better. He just isn't. But I can't give that weak excuse.

Something tapped against my shoulder as I finished my homework. I closed my book and turned off the lamp by my desk as it wasn't needed anymore and looked at the object. It was my dark blue racquet held by Akaya. He was holding his as well and was offering me mine.

I took it and told him to meet me on the court in our backyard. He would have to give me time to change into shorts and a t-shirt, because my new uniform for school was not going to cut it.

"Got any important matches coming up?" He asked me as I met up with him five minutes later.

"Was going to face Echizen Ryoma tomorrow morning but he backed out. Now I'm going up against Kikumaru Eiji and Inui Sadaharu. If I lose against them I face Syusuke." I said in one breath.

"It doesn't sound like Echizen to back out like that," Akaya said.

"You know him?"

"I know all the Seigaku regulars."

"So why would he do it?"

"He might have wanted more time to prepare. The match with you tomorrow probably wasn't the right time for him." He said, "That's what I would be thinking. He'll face you sooner or later, that Echizen. He won't go down without one."

"Stop acting like a wise old man," I shouted across the court, "Your serve."

Once again, Akaya had gotten better when I wasn't looking. He had probably trained after a loss, or done something that activated a charge in his mind. He no longer played rough plays of tennis, which I found weird. He wouldn't try to hurt me before, but it would still contain some rough play, and he would hurt the opponents he started losing to before.

"You've changed," I remarked with a ghost of a smile as we played.

"So have you," He quipped.

"You're not aiming at my arm anymore," I said, "Your plays are more precise."

He shook his head as he returned the ball the corner of the court again. "Not enough. It's still slow enough to let you wait for a few seconds so that you're sure the ball will go in a certain direction."

"But check this out," Akaya said, "Phantom Ball!"

The ball raced towards me as I started to try and hit it with a back hand. Yet suddenly, it appeared to multiply and bounced the other way. "Eh, pretty good," I remarked, hiding my surprise. "Can you control it?"

"Find out!" He shouted as he hit one again, this time in a different direction.

This time no words left my mouth, but it instead grew into a wicked smile as I served. I couldn't stop the Phantom just yet, maybe in the next game, but I could do something else. Curving my elbow as I had seen Akaya done, I returned the ball with the Phantom as well.

"You're picking up other people's moves faster now," Akaya remarked towards the end of our match.

"I did train you know," I snorted.

"Don't we all?"

"Every day."

"Game and match. Aoi, 6-0." Akaya said after a few more plays went on, "Mataku, I can't compete with you. But maybe someday…"

"I'll be waiting for that day, Aniki." I said, tipping my head down. "Try putting more weight on your toes, you'll go faster. Or actually, how about I teach you a Split Step?"

"I don't need your help—" He started.

"No one is here," I pointed out.

"You're helping an opponent."

"I'm helping my aniki," I retorted, "Besides, this wouldn't be the first time, either."

In the end, I taught him the basis of a Split Step, and a one footed one when he got a slight hang to it. It was still messy, and made him slower rather than faster, but I knew Akaya, and he would get it by the end of the week.

"Ne, Aneki." Akaya panted as we lingered outside, avoiding the hot air of the house. The night breeze felt cool and refreshing against our sweating bodies.

I turned towards him in response, waiting for his question. "Why didn't you use _that_ when we were playing?"

Smiling, I gulped down water from the bottle he handed me, "Didn't feel like it. I'll probably use it tomorrow, though. Against Eiji."

**REVIEW!  
Thanks for reading! You'll get a more descriptive piece about how she plays in the next chapter! Will update soon!**

…

Copyright © 2012 by Ashley Li. All rights reserved.


	4. Kikumaru Eiji

Chapter Four: Kikumaru Eiji

"V,v!" Eiji flashed me two peace signs after we met each other in the middle of the court. It was already starting to get hot even though it was six thirty in the morning. My white shorts didn't absorb the sun and gave me air as well as the light blue polo shirt I wore.

"Let's have a good match," I murmured through a thin smile.

"Hoi, hoi!" He replied cheerfully as he spun his racquet.

"Rough," I said.

The racquet landed on smooth, which at the time, I didn't know if I was glad that I didn't get the serve or not. "Service," Eiji said.

"End."

"Yatta! I get to play against the Queen!" He cheered as he picked up his racquet from the floor.

This reminded me of Echizen. I searched the people beyond the fence around us for him, and found him with the regulars, a few freshmen, and what looked like two reporters. Pointing my racquet toward him, I shouted, "I expect a match from you soon!"

"Exactly what I was hoping for," he replied cooly.

"How much time do we have until the bell rings?" I asked, this time directing my question to Oishi, who was the referee of the match.

"About an hour and a half before school starts. Why?"

"Nandemo," I said cheerfully as both Eiji and I walked to the opposite sides of our courts. _Kikumaru Eiji, _I thought as the ball was raised into the air. _Paired with Oishi and dubbed the Golden Pair. It is said that your acrobatics play is superb. But your stamina…dissipates quickly. I'll have to look out for his recovery rate. Apparently he can recover in a hundred breaths. _

"Here I go," Eiji said as he bounced back and forth into his hand before making his serve. I returned it to the far corner of the baseline in his court. He returned it to my courtI repeated my return, and repeated, and repeated. No moves, no special techniques. I was keeping the ball low, and returned all of his acrobatic plays.

"Kikumaru Beam!" He shouted, hitting the ball behind him.

That one surprised me, but I recovered quickly and went for the ball again. He gave another Beam which I returned. _Kikumaru Beam, saved. _I thought as my eyes scanned the move. I pictured it in my head and saved it for later in the cabinet of moves and techniques I had.

"Nothing's happening!" A freshman exclaimed, "She just keeps returning the ball!"

"Iie," I heard Inui say.

"You see it too, Inui?" Fuji asked. "She's returning it to the corners, making him run. She's not moving much at all, but Eiji's going back and forth. She isn't using any special moves or techniques, just carrying out the plays."

"Wakamiya Aoi is pinpointing his weakness, his stamina." Inui said.

Ryoma sighed, "This is going to be a long match. I'm going to go get juice."

"Leave your Ponta for later, Echizen." Kaidou said, "We're watching a match with the Queen, it would be good to see her play."

"I-I'll get your juice, Ryoma-kun." A freshman girl said, running off.

The conversation turned to what Echizen would do without juice, so I returned to attention to Eiji. The score was in my favour, 40-LOVE.

I would finish this match in an hour and twenty minutes. Which would give him five minutes to prepare for class. This meant that each game had to be roughly 13 minutes long. I didn't want to count the seconds, so instead I hummed a tune in my head that was a minute long, thirteen times.

"Game, Wakamiya. 1-LOVE." Oishi said, "Change court."

Short breaks for water and such were given when a change over happens. This occurred every odd number of games or scores. The break was still short, but it would give him enough time to recover slightly.

My gaze met Eiji's briefly before he sat down on the bench and panted with a towel over his head. 1,2,3,4,5…his breathing went. Twenty breaths each break. Six gulps of water. Twenty of the hundred essential breathes that were needed for him to recover.

I would have to push harder. Maybe I would make this game fifteen minutes, and the next eleven. This is where I saw something incredibly unusual. "There it is! Kikumaru's Seal Step!" The freshmen cried.

It looked like there were multiple Eiji's, which confused me to no end. I lingered at the baseline in the centre of the court, determined to return the ball no matter where it went. If he did a Seal Step, then I would do a Split Step. "Split Step?" They exclaimed.

"It's one-footed." Inui said. "Like Echizen's."

The return came to the right corner, but I got there faster this time and returned it with a sigh of relief. By the time that the score was 5-LOVE, I could see _it_ happening. Eiji's will was disappearing. The fire that burned in his eyes at the start of the match disappeared. Like he gave up.

It happened with my last competitor as well. At the start of the match, they are so pumped. But soon enough, it's like I'm playing tennis with myself again.

But he didn't. Kikumaru Eiji wouldn't give up. He just needed a reminder.

"Ne, Eiji?" I said as we passed each other. "Just play your own tennis, okay?"

"Jibun no…tennis?"

"Remember? V, v!" I said, imitating him with a peace sign, making him laugh. He nodded and the fire came back into his eyes. The determination. _He's back_, I thought. Normally, normally I wouldn't care if they gave up. Ended it quickly. Maybe it's because he's a friend.

He served and we rallied back and forth until he hit a shot I had never seen before, from underneath him. This shocked me as I ran towards it, having to jump this time, but still missed it.

"LOVE-15!"

_I had to jump this time, so it was close. Impressive. _I thought with a grin.

"Fifteen All!"

I stopped. Eiji was still sweating, still panting, but he didn't look tired anymore. He should have been at his limit, but he was still going. Still trying. He was doing better than before. _What a strange boy…_I couldn't help but wonder as he jumped around the court with a big grin on his face.

"Game, Kikumaru! 5-1! Change court!"

"Not bad, Eiji." I said, this time allowing my serve to be faster.

"That's the way it should be!" He said, returning it with more power. He was growing.

He tried his Seal Step again, and it was faster this time. This time I studied it while trying to keep up with it. He was side stepping so fast that it appeared as if there were two Eiji's. _Seal Step, saved. _"Game, Kikumaru! 5-2!"

"Kikumaru Beam!" He shouted, hitting the ball I had returned behind him. I switched from my back hand, now by instinct, and prepared to hit the ball…except that it didn't come.

The ball was directed the other way. How in the world was that even possible? Especially when he was hitting the ball behind him?

"LOVE-15!"

_I'm glad your back, Eiji, but now…I won't let you take a single point! _I thought as I served while flicking my wrist slightly and tilting it back. I put my arm into it and the ball hit his court, unable to return.

"Fifteen All!"

"Sugoi!" Eiji said, looking at the mark the tennis ball had left. "I could see that! It was like the ball just landed at the very line of the service court, and it spun, and then just stayed. Like a Twist Serve, but it didn't bounce up again!"

"My version of the Twist Serve." I said.

"Tamed Serve!" The freshman cried.

I pursed my lips to that name. _All _or rather, most serves were tamed. Why give it that name? Oh well, I didn't really care. I guess it was the Tamed Serve now.

"Thirty All!" Oishi cried as I hit the Tamed Serve again. Two more points and the match was mine.

Tilting and flicking my wrist again, I gave another Tamed Serve. This time, however, Eiji's racquet was already at the spot where the mark was usually left. It hit his racquet and spun on it, a wild ball, powerful ball. I hadn't thought of that. These wild balls could go anywhere. Where would it go? Out? A drop shot?

Even Eiji wouldn't know.

"Zannen, munen, mata raishuu! " He said cheerfully as the ball released from his racquet and turned into a lob with spin on it.

"What a weird match, huh, Eiji?" I said as I jumped high in the air and smashed the ball.

"40-15!"

This time I gave a regular serve, which he returned with ease, panting heavily. "Drop shot?" I exclaimed to myself, hurrying to get to the ball, which sent a lob to him.

"Kikumaru Bazooka!" He cried as he launched a powerful ground stroke.

I jumped back, wondering at the same time where it would go. I went to forehand at first, but seeing that it was a backhand, I extended my arm behind me and curved my body, hitting the ball back. It was heavy, and I was only using one hand, and it wasn't my most dominant either. I squinted and lashed it out.

"Game and match! Wakamiya! 6-2!"

"Nani?" Eiji asked, staring at me. "Kikumaru…Beam?"

"Wakamiya did the Kikumaru Beam? How?"

"Mirror neurons." Inui said, glasses beaming.

Everyone turned to him as if he was a teacher and they were the students, curious for an answer. I kept staring at Eiji, studying him, because I knew what he was going to say as he flipped through a notebook.

"Wakamiya Aoi as a child got into a car accident. They had to run tests on her brain because of that and found that her lateral prefrontal cortex is larger than average as well as the fact that her orbitofrontal cortex is remarkably small.

He continued, "The orbitofrontal cortex is the reward center of the brain. Those who exhibit reward-seeking behaviour have a large orbitofrontal cortex. That means that Wakamiya is not reward motivated. If the lateral prefrontal cortex is larger, that means that Wakamiya is extremely good at directing her thoughts and actions toward her goals."

"But they also found that Wakamiya has abundance for mirror neurons in her brain. There are a lot."

"Mirror neurons fire both when one performs an action and when one sees another person performing that action. They allow us to imitate behaviour. Someone with many, strong mirror neurons would be capable of mimicking others behaviour, and if trained—" He paused, "—how others move."

"This is the reason why Wakamiya is able to mimic moves, and probably behaviour, so easily, because of the mirror neurons. When you found about your abundance for them, you trained yourself, didn't you?"

I was silent, not wanting to give an answer. And yet, at the same time, my silence was giving them an answer. That yes, I had trained myself. This is why my guardians were so keen on my learning Japanese traditional dancing, because I could pick it up quickly. Even if I didn't enjoy it.

Eiji and I both came to the middle of the court and shook hands. "You most of my techniques, that's…sugoi!" He said.

I shook my head, "It was a good match. You did well. Went far."

"Ore?" He asked as he stopped shaking my head, instead just holding it. I looked down at our hands to see what he was so confused about. Eiji dropped his racquet in his other hand and fumbled with the sweat bands on my wrists and feet.

"Oi! You were wearing weights! That's not fair!"

I shrugged and took my hand away, taking a towel from my bag and covering my face. "No rule against it."

"I wonder if the outcome would have been differently if the weights had come off," Inui observed, "And if you switched to your dominant hand."

My eyes slit toward him, because he really set off a bomb now. Eiji put his hand on his hips and made a face at me before putting me into a head lock. "Aoi! You're left handed? That's no fun if you play with your right hand!"

I tried shaking myself out of the head lock, but Eiji was strong, and was also male, so I tried for something else. "Five minutes before class, you better get ready," I reminded him.

"Class?" He let go of me and stormed into the changing room.

Inui fixed his glasses, "I'll be anticipating our match, Wakamiya."

"Let's have a good one," I said as I turned to get into a washroom so I could get ready as well.

A few minutes later, I heard the bell ring, and him and Syusuke parting ways.

…

Copyright © 2012 by Ashley Li. All rights reserved.


	5. Inui Sadaharu

Chapter Five: Inui Sadaharu

Turns out, I was late.

"Gomen-nasai!" I shouted, slamming open the sliding door of homeroom. My uniform looked like I had thrown it over myself, and I was panting. Five minutes. Not nearly enough time for a girl like me to get ready. I barely had time to wash my face as I got lost through the mysterious halls of Seishunn Gakuen.

Eiji had it easy. All he had to do was use the tap to wash his face and change into his uniform in the changing rooms. All near the tennis courts. A girl like me would have to wash her face with the tap, but also have to run all the way into the school, get lost just because she happened to be new, finally find the bathroom, change, and rush to homeroom.

Eyes turned to me as I silently and quickly walked towards my desk, cheeks flushed. Hanging my bag on the side of my desk, I took out my books and started to prepare for my other classes, hoping to draw attention away from myself as the teacher took attendance.

Throughout the day, my mind wandered to my next, opponent: Inui Sadaharu. A data tennis player. I personally liked playing data tennis players, because they were fun. Fun to surprise. Even as I went through my studies, tennis stayed on my mind until it was after school, and I was changing into shorts and my polo t-shirt once more.

By the time I got to the court, Inui had already arrived, in full gear as well. His bag looked full (probably of notes, extra racquets, and extra glasses), but the one thing I noticed were the wristbands, the ankle bands, and even a waistband.

We shook hands in the middle of the court, wishing each other good luck. I spun my racquet and called rough, but I wasn't known for being lucky, and the serve became Inui's.

"Sorry for having to say this," Inui said, "but would you mind taking off the weights?"

My mouth twitched with the urge to smile, "I might," I said, "If you take off yours."

"All of it." It wasn't a question. Rather, he was proposing a deal. We take off all the weights.

I weighed my options, tossing a tennis ball from my pocket in my hand. After going through everything, I nodded, "Let's do it."

He returned the nod and we both turned to go back to the empty coach's bench where our bags lay on our courts. Instead of taking off the weights, I stared at Inui, wanting to observe how many weights he had on. He took off two wristbands, two ankle bands, a waistband, two shoulder bands, and one big band that covered his whole chest. All eight made a huge thumping noise as he tossed them onto the bench.

Inui turned to me expectantly as he finished. Pursing my lips, I took off two wristbands, two ankle bands, and my shoes. Then I placed them all in my tennis bag and took out new shoes, this time they were beige and light blue.

We both returned to the court, "Did you wear that for the whole day?" I asked him, motioning towards the weights.

He didn't answer, but instead said, "Please switch to your dominant hand."

I raised an eyebrow, "I already took off my weights. If you want me to switch to my left, you're going to have to make me."

Inui didn't say a word after that as we crossed the courts to our positions. "There it is! Super Sonic Serve!" The freshmen yelled as he served.

My mind raced at the ball. _192km/h. Right side of the court. Will be exactly on the line. _I thought, listening to the impact and seeing the collision between the racquet and the ball. But I left it. Inui was a data tennis player, and so, for the first game, I would have to play his part as well.

"Game! Inui! 1-LOVE!"

"Service ace! Love game! Yatta! Go Inui! Ganbare!" I heard from the fence as I bounced the tennis ball I had produced from my pocket.

My eyes flashed as I did a regular serve and volley, dashing for the net. We rallied back and forth, both doing net play. I started aiming for the corners of the court to push him back before lowering my shots and aimed for the net. A cord ball. Inui ran for the ball, but only the tip of his racquet got it. A lob.

I grinned and smashed the ball down. "15-LOVE!"

"Cord ball? How did she hit one when they were rallying for that? A fluke right?"

"Has to be! Even if it is the Queen, it's almost impossible to hit a clean cord ball like that when you're rallying! I would know!"

I served yet another regular serve, but as soon as Inui returned it to the side of the court I had purposely left open, I dashed toward it and returned it.

"30-LOVE!"

"W-what was that?"

"That shot just now…"

"F-fast!"

"Look at this!" The female reporter said.

Turning my head towards them as I bounced the ball, getting ready for my serve, I saw a camera. "Aoi-chan is blurry even to my camcorder! She moves as soon as the ball makes contact with his racquet!" Or camcorder.

"Iie." Fuji said. His voice made me grasp the ball tightly in my hand, making me stop. I had almost forgotten that he had been watching.

"Inui calculates where his opponent will go and then reacts. Wakamiya listens for the impact and waits until she is completely sure. She's so fast that she can afford to wait? Even on Inui's fast serve?" Oishi remarked.

"How fast would she be if she just reacted first and didn't make sure the ball was going in that direction?"

"Wakamiya slices through the air like a needle," someone remarked.

"Silent tennis." Fuji said. "She's known for it. Barely makes a sound when she plays. You can barely see her."

"But she's like a ghost! I mean, look at her eyes!" A freshman said. "Emits an aura, like "I'm going to beat you now,""

_Thanks, guys. Ignore, ignore, ignore… _I thought, trying to block out their conversations and concentrate on my serve. It was easy to ignore them. Who cared if I was fast? So what? You don't need to make a big deal out of it just because I can wait a few seconds before moving.

"Aoi-chan…she plays a very defensive style of tennis, doesn't she? It takes few chances and isn't very creative…but she has preposterously quick reflexes." The female reporter said.

"Mhm. Wakamiya-san is calm, collected, and deadly. She's left-handed but is playing with her right hand. Just like Echizen." The male reporter responded.

I took a quick glance at the reporters as I was about to make my serve. "STARISH?" I shouted, seeing the keychain wrapped around the female's camera strap. I looked down quickly, hiding my blush. Anime. I was a still a fifteen-going-on-sixteen-year-old girl. I liked anime, especially the shoujo anime _Uta no Prince sama, _which was pretty much my favourite. The female reporter's key chain was a picture of the idol group in the anime, STARISH. Lame name, I don't care. I loved them.

_That was bad, _I thought, blushing. _Stay focused. _

I served normally and allowed him to return. He was covering the left side of the court while still being able to go to the right. Why would be cover the left? I aimed my return with a slice of my wrist, and the ball flew to the left side of the court, but Inui didn't get it.

"40-LOVE!"

"W-what was that return?"

"She did a weird return just now!"

"Eh? The ball, it looked funny," Eiji said, rubbing his eyes. "Like it changed speed…"

"Yes. Inui was covering the left side of the court, maybe because of data. Aoi aimed her return there, maybe to test a theory. All Inui would have had to do was swing his racquet, not move at all. But the return was slow, and then fast. It changed speed." Fuji said.

"The Queen is playing defensive tennis; she has her whole court covered." Echizen said, "She's pressuring him. He's unconsciously shifting into a defensive position."

"Plus, she's keeping him at the baseline. Inui hates that; he can't break it. He loves his net play. But he's got no choice but to break through," Oishi said.

"Ganbare, Inui!" Eiji shouted.

"HURRAY! HURRAY! I-NU-I!" Kawamura yelled.

Inui's expression gave nothing away. He was just there, muttering to himself. Planning something. My serve wasn't special this time. I kept him at the baseline, moving from corner to corner until I hit a drop shot that looked like a regular return. It spun a bit on the ground, but then stayed and rolled away, bouncing slightly. _Tsh, still having trouble with that zero-shiki Tezuka has. Videos just won't do it as fast, will they? I'll have to actually play him if I want to learn it quickly. _I shook my head, _I'll keep practicing._

"Game! Wakamiya! 1-ALL! Change court!"

No words were passed between us as we switched courts, but I could still hear him muttering to himself. "….doesn't meet my predictions….data doesn't lie….should be 83% straight, but it went to the left…."

We played more games, and I started to notice something. Despite how calm Inui looked most of the time, he was actually quite fired up. Like the Master. The Master, Alex Lawliet , was always fired up for matches. Actually, I saw that attribute in many others in the regulars. Alex held his title as best Master for four years straight, and the two years I held mine was also the time we started a rivalry. He was a lot better than me, and wiped me out in fifteen minutes, but I was still happy to last that long.

It made me want to beat him more and more all the time. Eventually people started calling us Fire and Ice, because my cool ghost like demeanour was like Ice, and his fired up, outgoing personality was like Fire. We've faced each other two times in official matches, and twelve unofficial. But the Fire always won.

Even comparing Inui to the Master made me want to beat him more. It made me use more than I should have to do so. "Game! Wakamiya! 5-1! Change court!"

The match was a little unfair, I admit. I could hear him muttering what he was going to do. And if I could hear what he thought I was going to do, all I had to do was the opposite. But then he stopped muttering. I don't think it was because he figured out I could hear him, but perhaps he decided to stop thinking and let his body react.

And the latter was probably what he had done, considering that after his serve and volley; he was hitting double handed returns. They were powerful and heavy and forced me to let go of the racquet.

"40-LOVE!"

I clenched my fist. One of the disadvantages of being a girl was that you were naturally weaker than most men. It wasn't even my fault either. I was stronger than some men, but there were some that I just couldn't get to because they were guys. Sometimes, being a girl was a disadvantage if the guy is too strong. Maybe Inui found this out.

"Game! Inui! 5-2! Wakamiya lead!"

"Inui got his service game!"

"Yappari…Wakakmiya-san is still a girl, isn't she?"

_Baka! _I thought, clenching my teeth, bangs covering my eyes as I prepared for my serve. _It doesn't matter if I'm a girl! I'll prove that as well!_

I didn't serve the Tamed Serve because that wouldn't give him a chance to hit. No, I was going to return the balls he swung back.

My racquet was swung out of my hand once more.

Again.

And again.

And again.

"40-LOVE!"

There was no way that I was going to do my Tamed Serve this game. I was a stubborn girl, and I needed to overcome this wall. How could I do it though? Return that kind of power from a guy that constantly wore weights on his arms? How do I send it back at him without injuring myself?

_Drop shot! _A voice said in my mind. I hurried to the net. At least I still had my speed. And returned it with a cord ball.

"40-15!"

My left hand was shaking. As if it was telling me to switch to it. But I couldn't. Because I knew that I could return those heavy shots with my left hand. However, I would never stand a chance against Yukimura or Alex if I couldn't stand Inui's heavy balls on my right.

I hit a cord ball after my serve, which left Inui to give me a lob. Instinctively, I jumped up to smash the ball, but seeing that Inui had moved back to the baseline to prepare for a smash, I made it a drop ball.

"40-30!"

Serving again, Inui returned with another heavy shot to the corner of the court. I moved my hand slightly up the racquet so that it wasn't on the grip tape. Then I gripped my racquet harder, knuckles white from the pressure, and swung with my right hand.

"Deuce!"

"Sorry, Inui." I said, finally lifting my head to show my burning eyes. "But I'm going to use you as a stepping stone to strengthen my right arm."

It kept going back and forth between deuce and advantages. The racquet was knocked out of my hand a couple more times and I returned his shots some times as well. I just couldn't do it consecutively yet.

"Advantage, Wakamiya!"

I didn't care about winning. That wasn't my goal. My goal was my right arm, to make it stronger. And I was going to get to my goal no matter what. And as Inui returned the ball with two hands, I braced my knees with my arms ready, and swung the racquet so hard that when the ball connected with it, it was slightly easier. Clenching my teeth with a determined look, I pushed my arm will all of my might and returned it.

"Out! Deuce!"

Now I was angry. I almost had it. Well, that just meant I had a long way to go. At least I returned it twice. Now I could work on control.

"Advantage, Wakamiya!"

_I will get this. _I thought as another heavy ball came towards me. _This is my goal. This is my step to get closer to Yukimura and Alex. With this, I might be able to last longer._ And then, I swung the racquet as hard as I could.

"Game and match! Wakamiya! 6-2!"

"Thank you, Inui." I said as we met each other in the middle of the court. Then I stretched my arms up high and sighed, "Kimochi! Playing tennis always feels so good!"

"It was a good match," he said.

I grinned and turned towards the fence where Ryuzaki-sensei and the other regulars were, "Does that mean I'm a regular now?" Of course, I wouldn't really be a regular; I would just train with them and go to their matches. I couldn't participate in the matches, but it still made me happy.

Eiji was grinning by the fence with a regulars' jacket. On the sleeve in red kanji it said my name on it. Momo was carrying the shorts and Syusuke was carrying the shirt. I put my racquet away in my bag and went towards Ryuzaki-sensei, and then I bowed and thanked her.

"Go try on your new regulars' uniform. It may be a little big because it is meant for guys, but we'll have to make do with that." She said with a warm smile.

"I don't think it will be a problem," I said, picking up a pair of scissors from the bench. I took the short from Momo and cut them so that they were shorter. "I can live with the shirt and the jacket."

"Try it on!" Eiji said, guiding me towards the changing rooms. "We'll make sure no one goes inside!"

I blushed, not wanting to even change in their changing room. No one was inside, but still, it felt weird as I changed as quickly as possible into the now-short shorts and the slightly oversized Seigaku polo shirt with the jacket. Everything was a little big, but it felt right, and it felt nice.

When I came out, I found all the regulars grinning at me. "Good work, Wakamiya." Tezuka said, shaking my hand.

I smiled and took out my cellphone, flipping it open and sending a text to Akaya that I made it. Finally, I was a regular and could face the other regulars as well. I would go to Nationals with them and then face this year's Queen/Master round up. There was so much to do, so much fun that would come.

And then I would marry Syusuke in a year.

My phone buzzed. Excepting a reply from Akaya, I flipped it open to read the message. It wasn't from Akaya, but rather, my mother. The message said that the Fuji's would be coming for dinner tonight with my family and Akaya's.

"Did you get it, too?" I asked Syusuke, who was checking his cellphone as well.

"Mhm. We better get home. There's only half an hour before dinner," he said. This reminded me that hey, we would probably have to be 'presentable' again.

It would be my first time meeting Syusuke's siblings. This would also be the first time Syusuke would meet my brother, and realize that Akaya and I are practically siblings. Well, Akaya seemed to like Fuji, so they must be friends, even though Akaya can get cocky sometimes. Well, it's something we shared.

The thought of getting into a dress made my stomach churn with a groan. "Let's go," Syusuke said, grabbing my hand and leading me to the car.

_I hope they're nice, _I thought.

…

Copyright © 2012 by Ashley Li. All rights reserved.


	6. Substitute

Chapter Six: Substitute

"Itadakimasu," Everyone murmured before politely eating the food on the dinner table. There were fifteen people all together; Akaya's family of four, my family of six including my sister-in-law, and Syusuke's family of five. None of the kids talked, merely the adults pleasantly joking around.

"So you married Aoi-chan off to Fuji, did you?" Hiroshi, Akaya's father, laughed. "And I always thought that Akaya and Aoi would be together."

I pursed my lips and stared down at my food, knowing that Akaya would be doing so as well. We may have liked each other when we were kids, but now was a different story. He knew I liked Yukimura and I knew that he didn't have any particular love interest. You would think that everyone had to have a crush, but not Akaya. Apparently beating the three monsters of Rikkaidai were the only things on his mind.

Akaya's family owned a well-known computer company that spanned across America, Australia, Europe, and Asia. Our families had considered marriage, and until now I had been thinking that Akaya would turn out to be my husband, but I guess they changed their minds.

My family developed a music agency awhile back that made devices ranging from pianos to guitars—even TVs. But what we were mostly famous for was our idols. Our company also made idols famous, and managed them. So far ours biggest hits had been AKB48, V6, Idoling!, Amuro Namie, Shinozaki Ai, and Mizuki Nana.

I leaned towards my brother to whisper in his ear slightly as they talked. "What do the Fuji's do?"

"Ever heard of Fuji TV?" He whispered back, "They have that, and they own Yonex."

_Yonex? _I thought, mind-blown. I loved Yonex. All my grip-tape, racquets, shoes, and other tennis gear were from the sports company. "And by the way," he added, "Syusuke is the middle child of the family. But he is the oldest son; looks like you're going to be living with the parents."

"Why wasn't I told earlier?" I asked quietly. It made me realize that I really didn't know much about Syusuke.

"Sou da!" Yuuta exclaimed from the other side of the table, "You and Aniki have to go on a date soon!"

"Date?" I asked in bewilderment.

"That would be nice," Syusuke said, light hearted as always.

Yumiko, Syusuke's older sister, cut in. "You can't go on a date with Aoi-chan yet! Seigaku has to train for Nationals; they are only two weeks away!"

"That doesn't matter," My mother said.

Yumiko smiled sweetly, "Syusuke and Aoi-chan could go to one of our summer homes with the regulars to train for the next two weeks. They could bond there as well as train, and the drive isn't long…"

"That sounds great, what day?" I asked just as my grandmother said, "That would be formidable."

"How about we leave this weekend? I'll be there as well as the freshman to help cook. We can leave early in the morning." Yumiko said.

Before I had a chance to respond, my grandmother cut me off. "Aoi has a concur in two weeks. She absolutely cannot miss it so perhaps she will rethink the idea of going to this summer home."

"Actually," I said dismissively, "I can do all three. Go to the summer home to train with Syusuke and the regulars and come back slightly early to participate in the concur since ends before Nationals starts."

"That's great. What instrument do you play?" Syusuke said.

"Violin," my grandmother answered for me.

Participating in concurs were part of my conditions to freely continue playing tennis. It wasn't as bad as Japanese dancing, but it was still so complicated having to practice so long when I could be perfecting a strategy.

"Have you figured out who we are playing first in Nationals?" Akaya asked.

"Tezuka and Oishi and going to the conference today to figure it out," Syusuke said, "I'm sure Sanada and Yukimura will be there as well."

"And Atobe," Yuuta sighed, "I want to go to Nationals."

"There's always next year," I said hopefully. "Anyway, even if we are in Nationals, I can't play."

"That's true," he said, "but Aniki won't be in junior high next year."

He was right about that. This was our graduating year, and possibly the last time everyone on Seigaku would see each other in the same school. This dimmed my mood a bit as I realized this, because frankly, I didn't want it to end. And this feeling would probably be more so if I had known them since I was a freshman like all the other regulars.

We finished the dinner and they ended up staying a bit late as the adults talked about while we went outside to play on the tennis court in my backyard. I would have suggested that the regulars come here, but we only have one tennis court, and even if it was only one, my grandmother has still been reluctant to have it built.

The next day at practice all the regulars crowded around Tezuka as he gave us a pep talk on how we shouldn't be careless and to always move forward; yet everyone was wondering who we were up against first for Nationals. I knew that I wouldn't be playing against anyone, but I still wanted to know.

"The team that we will be playing was decided by a draw." Oishi said.

"We are playing Rikkaidai Fuzoku," Tezuka announced. "I suggest that everyone train as hard as they can. This is the Nationals after all, and even if we won against them last time, there is no telling how the outcome will be now."

Everyone murmured their thoughts on the fierce school. But I couldn't speak. Akaya was in Rikkaidai, but it wasn't only him. Yukimura was there as well. I could have a chance to play against Yukimura and perhaps win. But I was a girl, and one of Ryuzaki-sensei's conditions was that I could not play. I told her clearly that I was fine with that, but now I wasn't so sure.

"Are you glad?" Syusuke asked me, "We can play against Kirihara."

I didn't respond as I moved to go up to Ryuzaki-sensei, ready to propose my idea. "Wakamiya," Tezuka stopped me. "Where are you going?"

"I just had to talk to Ryuzaki-sensei for a moment," I informed him.

As if catching what I was going to say, he continued, "You can talk to her later. You have a match."

"I see," I said, turning around to walk towards my match. Tezuka probably knew what I wanted to ask. Yukimura would probably be in Singles One, but there was no way ever that Ryuzaki-sensei or Tezuka could compromise enough for me to play that position. I would need to ask if I could be the substitute if something went wrong, and I would need to convince Yukimura to be a substitute as well. But the odds of getting a no game were slim.

I needed to get this match over with fast. That was the only goal I had in mind as played against Arai, a second year who was in the tennis club. To my knowledge, he was the runner-up to become a regular next year, other than Momo, Kaidou, and Echizen.

"Come on, go easy on me!" He shouted as I won the fifth game.

"You'll never get better if people take pity on you and go easy," I said as an excuse. All I had to do was make swift and precise returns to get the points.

"Wakamiya doesn't show any mercy, does she?" Momo said.

"But it looks like she is in a rush," Inui remarked.

"Game and match! Wakamiya! 6-LOVE! Love match!"

As soon as I finished shaking Arai's hand at the middle of the court, I jogged back to my side, the sun blazing. It was probably the worst way to treat my equipment ever as I threw my racquet in my bag, quickly zipped it up with nimble fingers, and walked swiftly to Ryuzaki-sensei. She was with Tezuka, talking about a matter, but all the other regulars were watching each other's matches.

"Onegaishimasu!" I said fiercely as I bowed. She turned her attention to me almost immediately, an inquiring look on her face that was also filled with surprise. "Onegai," I said quietly this time so that only she could hear me, "Allow me to play as Singles One in the match against Rikkaidai!"

I stayed, bowing as she spoke. "That's impossible, Wakamiya. You know that."

I shut my eyes, knowing that that would be her answer. "Than at least make me the substitute for the singles round! Onegashimasu, sensei!" Only she could hear me, however my voice was still fierce, and I could tell that people were watching.

"You aren't supposed to play," Ryuzaki-sensei said firmly. "And there is a high chance that you wouldn't play if you were the sub."

"I know that," I said, "But I still want to be the sub. Only against Rikkaidai and just this once will I ever request it!"

"They will recognize you as a girl," She said.

"Not if I wear a hat and keep my hair up," I said, "Not if I wear longer shorts and my regulars' jacket."

"Wear your regulars jacket?" She laughed, "You would tire out from the heat faster than normal, and the match would be at a disadvantage."

"I can bind my chest." _Anyway, if I wear a sports bra, it won't look like I have any chest at all._

"Why do you wish to play so badly?"

I opened my eyes, "There is someone I need to surpass."

"Oh? Someone you need to surpass?" Ryuzaki-sensei asked, "Well then. We could allow you to play as a sub under these conditions."

Hope filled my eyes as she continued, "You dress as a boy. You keep your head down. You do not talk unless you can lower your voice. There is no need to change your name as Aoi can be used as a girl and a boy name. And finally, you must create a scene where people can see both you as a girl and you as a boy at the same time."

I gapped, wondering how I could do that, but she continued. "There is a high chance that you won't play. Now, stop bowing, you've created a weird atmosphere and people are staring. You may leave for the day, Wakamiya. Good luck."

Now I grinned at Ryuzaki-sensei long and wide before giving her a massive hug. "Arigatogozaimasu, sensei."

"Play to your heart's content," she said warmly. "But stop hugging me; the heat will kill us both if you don't."

I let go of her, knowing that the heat from outside was a nuisance, and one I didn't want to increase. Before I could let anyone who was staring catch me, I ran out the gates of the school, letting Syusuke know that I would be leaving first. Then I pulled out my phone and texted Akaya in all caps.

_ANIKI! TELL YUKIMURA TO PLAY AS A SUB AGAINST SEIGAKU NOW! I'M THE SUB FOR SEIGAKU! WE BETTER GET A NO GAME! –A _

He replied almost instantly, _Eh? I wonder how you managed to convince your coach of that. Yukimura agreed to play as the sub and hopes for a no game as well. Will you beat him? –A _

My fingers raced against the keypad. _You may need to help me with some of the conditions I got. But yes, I aim to beat him. See you at home. –A_

I would have to wait for Akaya to come home before I could discuss my plans with him to make the alibi. Ryuzaki-sensei was smart. If everyone saw me and the guy me at the same time they wouldn't be able to say that I played. For now though, I would figure out my strategy against Yukimura, and train hard.

I was reminded now that no one was home because they were on a business trip, and for some reason, I felt glad. Glad that no one could interrupt me as I prepared for something that ultimately, I feared. Yukimura was an amazing player, and I was afraid of changing once I played him. All the other times had been unserious matches where nothing counted, but now that he had recovered from his surgery, we would both really try. And I didn't know where to start. Nothing I could do would surprise Yukimura, and vice versa.

This is where I stood, at the tennis court in my backyard, idly hitting the ball against the wall while I thought as my phone rang. "Moshi moshi, Syusuke?" I asked, answering the call.

"Aoi, where are you?"

"At my house, why?"

"Ryuzaki-sensei told the regulars that you would be the substitute and told us not to tell anyone else—do you mind if I come over?" Syusuke asked.

"Of course," I said. "See you in a bit."

Akaya arrived before Syusuke did, laughing at the possibilities of how I might crate my alibi and we went back inside. "You'll help me out though, right?"

"Mochiro, Aneki." He grinned.

"I don't have any brilliant plans," I started, "All I know is that we're both going to have to dress as the other gender."

"Wha—?"

"Don't worry! If there is a no game, then I will call the 'sub' which will be you. You will dress as the Seigaku Wakamiya Aoi sub and Inoue-san will take a picture with us together. When my match comes, you and I will switch clothing and you can be Wakamiya Aoi the Queen of Tennis until the match is over." I said.

"But I don't want to wear your shorts!"

"You can wear pants and my regulars' jacket. Put a hat on and keep your head low and no one will notice a thing." I reassured him. "Besides, it's not like we're going to get a no game."

"I hope you're not expecting me to throw my game just so that you can play Yukimura," Akaya said.

"Of course not!"

"Do you want to play him that badly?" A voice asked near the door. Syusuke had arrived. "Sorry, I let myself in."

"No worries," I said. "And yes, I do want to play him that badly. He's someone I must overcome. Besides the whole Seigaku team; and you."

"What's your relationship with him?"

Akaya laughed with a grin, "Don't get me started! Those two are ridiculous! They are constantly—"

I jumped over him before he could finish, my hand frantically reaching to clamp it over his mouth. "Akaya!" I said in frustration.

He spoke muffled words under my hand, still laughing. "Basically," I said, finishing his sentence for him. "Yukimura and I are old friends that have a confusing relationship. Nothing serious." _So why do I have a feeling that our feelings for each other will change after this match? Do I want that?_

"I see," Syusuke said, as if not fully satisfied. Then he produced something from his pocket and sat beside Akaya and I as we took a seat on the couch. "Here," he said, opening my hand and placing something in it. "Lucky charm."

Opening my palm, I found a necklace with a silver chain. The pendant on the end was a clear gem with a small rose inside. "That rose only bloom every ten years; I had it hardened in resin to preserve it and placed it in that sapphire. How is it?"

"It's…great," I said. "Thanks so much. Trust me; I like it more than I'm showing right now." Then I put it on and it rested against my shirt.

Akaya burst out laughing again, "You really suck at talking."

"Aniki…" I growled before sighing. "You know me too well."

Syusuke smiled, "It's alright, Aoi. I can already tell what you are feeling."

…

Copyright © 2012 by Ashley Li. All rights reserved.


	7. Date

**Chapter Seven: Date**

"But I thought that he and I weren't going on a date yet!" I complained to my brother who was eating in the kitchen.

"Just going to his summer home for two weeks isn't enough." Hikaru shrugged, not seeming to care as long as it didn't affect _his _life. "Mom wanted me to arrange something so I did. Fuji doesn't seem to have a problem with it."

I still wasn't happy with it. "But we're going to his summer home tomorrow anyways! Where is this date ?"

"Today at the amusement park! At least that means that you don't have to dress up too much." He replied, "Fuji's coming in ten minutes so you better hurry…"

As I got ready and changed into a shirt and some shorts, I found myself not completely minding going on a date with Syusuke. He was understanding so he knew not to rush things and he was kind and cared about his family.

Spotting his car outside, I hurried out the door. "Were you waiting long?" I asked him as I got into the car.

"No, I just got here." He smiled. He seemed wiser than the norm for his age, it always made me think that he was older than me when really we were the same age and neither of us could drive yet.

The leather of the seats in the car was cool which was good since it was so hot outside. It was then that I came to a realization. "Inui doesn't know about this, does he?"

"I'm not sure. He was there when my sister told me about it so he might. Why?"

I laughed, "He's a little obsessed with dates. It's kind of funny. Hopefully he doesn't tail us!"

Syusuke returned my laughing smile. "Knowing Inui, he probably will. With the other regulars, too." I didn't know whether or not he was joking, but it seemed possible with Inui.

The amusement park turned out to be bigger than I thought; it even required a map, and when we were offered the big directory we took it gratefully. Syusuke and I worked up a big list of rides we wanted to visit and since we had a full day pass, we could take as long as we needed.

A lot of the roller coaster rides would be packed with hour-long line ups so we figured that we would go when the magic show went on, that way the line-up would be a cinch.

While we were waiting in the shorter line-up that let you ride on the spinning tea cups, a voice, high and shrill, rang through the air. It was one that I didn't think I would hear ever again, nor did I want to.

"Aoi? Ohmygosh is that _you_?"

I spun, lips already tightening into the best fake smile I could muster. The sweetness in my voice sounded foreign, I didn't like it. "Aimee? Wow, what are you doing in Japan?" I asked in English, after all, she obviously didn't understand Japanese.

Aimee Clairmont, the European Queen of Tennis. She was perky and everything look-wise that I wasn't, but I had never played a match against her before. It had always been me and the North American Queen, who had formed a bit of a grudge since I had beaten her since I became Queen of Asia.

Aimee had long blonde hair which she refused to cut off, and bright green eyes. I was taller than her, but she had more…womanly figures than me. Well, I didn't care about being curvy or having breasts, I wouldn't trade height for that.

"I thought I'd train in Japan to see how the Queen of Tennis gets so strong!" She said, flashing her white teeth. "I've been training at a summer home I have near Kisaragi Moutain. It's too bad that I don't own the property near the base, it's all taken. All I could get was near the roads!"

"Kisragi Moutain?" I inquired, raising a brow. "Syusuke's summer home is there, actually."

"That's our property at the base. Sorry for the inconvenience," he laughed.

"No worries," She fluttered her lashes. "And you are…?"

"Fuji Syusuke."

"And how does someone as gorgeous as you know Aoi?" She was in flirt mode. God, I was starting to hate her even more than necessary. My main reason for not liking her? She was convinced that I somehow cheated my way to becoming the official Queen of Tennis.

"We're engaged." Syusuke said to my relief.

"Mhm. Do you play tennis?" Aimee asked. It didn't seem to bother her.

"Yes, actually, I do."

"Then we should play together some time? Could I train with you guys at your summer home?"

"Sorry, Aimee, I don't think that's possible." I said, feigning disappointed. "We're rivals after all. It would be bad for the both of us to see each other train."

"Oh, right." She sighed, "That's too bad. I wanted to get to know Syusuke. Maybe even play a match against him."

"Why don't _we_ play a one set match when our training is finished?" I offered, straining to not grit my teeth.

"Sure!" Aimee said, smiling competitively. "Maybe I'll finally see how you win so much. Can I tag along with you guys? That would be alright, wouldn't it, Syusuke?"

"Sorry, Clairmont-san. Today is my date with Aoi and I wanted it to be solely with us." Her smile dropped as he continued. "Also, please call me Fuji."

"What's wrong with calling you Syusuke? Aoi does."

"Aoi's my fiancée. You're not." Syusuke said. "Sorry, but only my closest of friends are allowed to call me by my first name."

"Alright then, I'll leave you guys to your date. See you soon, S—Fuji." Aimee winked and then left.

"Not even the regulars call you Syusuke." I commented after she left. "Are you that serious about your name?"

"Not completely. I would be fine with the regulars calling me Syusuke, but they don't." He replied, moving forward in the line. "I don't particularly like strangers calling me by my first name, though. And besides, I didn't like the way my name sounded, coming from her mouth. I like it a lot more coming from yours."

I smiled, "Thanks. It's the same for me too, you know? Your voice calms me." I said. "And I know why the regulars don't call you Syusuke. They have too much respect for you—I do as well."

After that, we laughed as we went on the various different rides. A scream slipped from my mouth without my consent when we went on the roller coasters, and as night approached, we went on the Ferris wheel to watch the fireworks.

I didn't see Aimee for the rest of the day, and was glad not to. Although we did, as Syusuke had perceived, run into the regulars—excluding Tezuka—who had 'happened' to be at the park on the same day. They left us to our date, though they were never far behind us.

When we had reached near the top of the wheel, we could clearly see the fireworks now. I pressed my fingers against the window and watched them in awe while Syusuke watched in his seat, his usual smile on his face.

"Ne, Aoi. What does the match between you and Yukimura mean to you?"

It was a question that came out of the blue, and one that I wasn't expecting. I was okay with answering it though, because he should know how I feel. I was sure that he would understand. "I think it's going to be my final conclusion with Yukimura and I."

"Final conclusion?"

"Akaya must have slipped it to you—but he and I were dating on and off for a while. We really liked each other but something didn't feel right, I suppose, so we stopped. I'm not sure if I like him or not, but I think this match will decide our feelings."

"I see." He sighed, "Well, I know what you mean."

"How so?" I asked, taking the seat beside him.

"I had a match with Tezuka a few weeks ago. It was one that we hadn't continued and it meant a lot to both of us." Syusuke explained. "Our feelings changed in between it. I suppose you could say that we understood each other better. He beat me and made me go to my full potential. It was the best feeling, though I lost."

"That sounds great. I think I'm looking forward to our match because I want change between us." I said.

"I'll support you, no matter what." Syusuke said. "I know it may be weird to be in an arranged marriage when you like another guy, but I'll wait and support you."

"Why do you think it's weird?"

"You like him yet you're forced to be with someone else, right?"

"That's not it at all, Syusuke." I replied. "Sure, I like Yukimura. I'm hoping I can figure things out in that match, but I also have feelings for you. And it's growing, trust me. Didn't you see how I was when Aimee appeared?"

He looked slightly confused and surprised at the same time. It made me realize that he thought I really didn't like him. "I like you, Syusuke. More than you think. I was jealous when Aimee came today, ignoring that we are engaged. It made me happy when you told her to call you Fuji, and it made me even happier when you told me that you liked me name coming from my lips."

I continued, "You're the best guy. To tell me that you'll wait and understand me and my conclusion after my match with Yukimura? Not many would do that. I'm grateful, really. But don't think that I don't like you, Syusuke." I grinned, daring the next sentence to come out of my mouth. "Because honestly, I'm think I'm falling in love with you more than I am with Yukimura."

"Arigato, Aoi." Was all he said before kissing me at the top of the Ferris wheel.

It was like the energy from the fireworks exploded within me as our lips touched and my surroundings disappeared. It was just be and him for the entire ride—no, it was me and him for the entire day, and we both cared about each other. One of his hands had moved to my hair, the other to my waist while I found my own hand at his arm.

"Excuse me?"

We looked up to find that the door was open and our ride was over. Whoops. I jumped up, cheeks flushed, and practically jumped off the stairs, moving quickly to sit on a nearby bench. Syusuke, on the other hand, didn't say a word and walked out, cool and casual, joining me on the bench.

"Don't feel too embarrassed." Syusuke reassured me. "You probably won't see those people ever again."

"That's not what I'm embarrassed about." I said, sighing. "Inui got a picture."

Ad in that instant, Inui jumped out of the bushes behind us with Eiji and the rest of the regulars in tow. "We have pictures from your date." He said, and showed us his cell phone which was open to the picture of us kissing.

Syusuke didn't seem to be bothered by this.

"Delete it!" I yelled, reaching for the cell phone. Eiji took it though, and used his acrobatics to keep the phone far from me.

"Fuji and Aoi kissed!" Eiji laughed.

I stopped, sighing with my defeat. "You can keep it," I said, pointing to Inui. "Do whatever you want with it. As long as the next time Syusuke and I train with the regulars at his summer home, we don't have to drink your Special Whatever-Juice."

His glasses flashed as he considered, "It's a deal."

"Yatta!" Letting him keep the photo was better than drinking the special juice that he made. I shuddered at the thought, and as I did so, I realized how cold it actually was.

"What are you doing?" I asked him, peering over Inui's shoulder. I shrugged it off and went to sit by Syusuke again when our phones buzzed.

We both opened the phones to find a text message sent to us from Inui. "It's a date." It read with the kissing picture attached. My jaw dropped when I saw that it was also sent to my brother, Akaya, and Syusuke's sister.

"Onee-chan…" Syusuke said, stunned that his sister would receive this.

"How could you send it to_ Akaya?!" _I yelled, wallowing in my despair. "He will put this thing everywhere!"

"Don't worry, Aoi!" Eiji winked. "You won't see your brother or Kirihara for two weeks at Fuji's summer home anyway!"

That gave me some relief but I texted my brother, Akaya, and Yumiko just in case, telling them not to share the photo with our parents. I got an almost instant reply from Akaya, one that didn't make me laugh.

_Don't worry, your secret's safe with me, Aneki! But you know…if I accidently left my phone open to that picture at Rikkaidai's practice….it won't be my fault if Yukimura sees it! ;) -A_

Damn it. Well, at least I would be gone tomorrow if he let it slip to Yukimura.

…

Copyright © 2012 by Ashley Li. All rights reserved.


	8. Replacement

**A/N: Shout out to ****TheRealDemonGurl ****for spotting out that Vampire Knight reference ! xD**

**Chapter Eight: Replacement**

"Moshi moshi? Ryuzaku-sensei?" I said, flipping my phone open. It was around midnight, and although we wouldn't be leaving too early in the morning for Syusuke's summer home, I still needed my sleep. "Is something wrong?" Translation: Why are you calling me in the middle of the night?

"I've received some news from the Middle School Nationals board. It looks like they had a mix-up with our schools." Ryuzaki-sensei said, her voice growing serious. "I'm sorry, Wakamiya. We won't be playing Rikkaidai Fuzoku unless both schools make it to the finals."

"That's…fine. I can just be a substitute for the finals. That's fine…right? Ne, Ryuzaki-sensei?" I had a feeling that there would be a catch to this, and I myself was starting to worry.

"I'm sorry." She repeated. "I've had word that Echizen Ryoma, our player that went off to the U.S. Open is coming back from America to help us in the Nationals Tournament. Even if there was a no game, you wouldn't be the one to play."

"I…see."

"It was against the rules anyway. If anyone were to find out about you playing, from anyone, Seigaku would most likely be disqualified."

"Fuzakenna." I whispered under my breath so that she wouldn't hear. _I've seen videos of stadium lamps falling on tennis courts and the point still counting if it was in during the catastrophe. How could this be any worse? _

I pulled myself together, at first thinking that I could negotiate, but deciding against it. Feigning a cheerful voice, I replied. "That's alright! I can always play a match against Yukimura next time!"

"Are you sure?"

_It's not like I have any choice. _I thought, but not bitterly. "Yeah, no problem. Is it alright if I still attend the training camp and the Nationals?"

"Of course! Even if you aren't playing you're always welcome to join us anywhere!"

"Thanks. I have to get some sleep now so see you tomorrow." I said, sinking onto my bed. "I'll let Yukimura know, too. About the mix-up. Ja."

I didn't think I was too angry. Just disappointed. I wanted to play a match against Yukimura officially, but now, after thinking everything through for my plans, I wouldn't be able to. My fingers nimbly went to the contact list on my phone and I dialled his number without thinking.

Before I could hang up however, he answered. "Moshi moshi?"

"Ah, Yukimura. Gomen. I forgot about the time."

"Don't worry about it. Are you well?"

I laughed. It was just like Yukimura to ask me that. It wasn't too long before that laugh disappeared though. "I just got a call from my coach. She said that Rikkaidai and Seigaku wouldn't be playing against each other unless we made it to finals. And even so, their player from America is coming back."

"That's a shame. I wanted to play you again. It's been almost a year; you must have grown stronger." Yukimura said.

"You've grown stronger as well."

"You've probably had more progress than me though, with my being in the hospital." He reasoned.

"Hospital or not, we both know that you evolve wherever you are." I said, which sounded unbelievable but it was true. It didn't matter if he was playing tennis or sitting around, he was constantly improving.

He chuckled. "It's the same for you, Aoi."

"Sorry." I said again, changing the subject to the one earlier.

"You apologize too much, Aoi. There's always next time, right?"

"When's that?"

"The Queen/Master Tournament. It's only a week after the Nationals Tournament finishes." Yukimura explained.

I had almost forgotten about that. Being with Seigaku all the time made me forget about my title and the tournament that came with it. I saw a flaw in his plan though. "It won't ever happen though unless you beat that North American Master."

Only the top Queen and the top Master played against each other. To get to the top Queens and Masters would play against the other Queens and Masters. So far I had been the top Queen but Yukimura had lost to the North American Master last year. I didn't blame him though. The North American Master had basically slaughtered me when we had played. I couldn't even get a game from him.

"I don't lose to the same person twice."

"Ganbatte, ne, Yukimura."

"You can call me Seiichi, Aoi." He said. "After how long we've known each other, it would make sense. Besides, I've called you by your first name all this time."

"Then it's a promise, Seiichi." I said, the name sounding foreign on my tongue. "We'll play each other in the Queen/Master Tournament."

"It's a promise, Aoi."

I would have hung up after that, but Yuk—Seiichi stopped me. "I heard from Kirihara."

This sparked my curiosity. There were a lot of things Akaya could tell Seiichi. Embarrassing things ranged most of them, but some were also things that I just didn't want Seiichi to know. "What did he tell you this time?"

"That you are engaged to Fuji Syusuke."

Oh. Well that one I hadn't been expecting. Of course it was near the top of the things that Akaya could tell him, but I forgot about it because of how used I was to the idea now. "And?"

"Knowing you, Aoi, you could get out of it with that head of yours."

"Maybe I don't want to get out of it, Seiichi." I said, waiting for his response. When there was nothing but silence, I decided that that would be a good time to hang up. "Oyasumi."

I felt a strange feeling in my chest for a few moments after. I wasn't sure if it was the feeling of relief that I had given a hint that I wasn't interested anymore of if it was the feeling of wanting to speak or see him again. I really hoped that it wasn't the latter. _Ignore it and it'll go away, Aoi. Syusuke is who you like. _And it was true. I needed this match to prove that to myself.

Even though I wanted to play the North American Master some time, I knew that if Seiichi beat him, and if I beat Seiichi, then that would ultimately mean that I beat them both. Still, it wasn't the same I suppose.

_Echizen Ryoma…who is he? _I wondered. The guy that was taking my place. Just what kind of person was he? If he had been on Seigaku that would have meant that Akaya would know him, right?

This is how I ended up in Akaya's room, turning the lights on to his protest. "What the hell?" He said, trying to bury his eyes in his pillow. "Aneki?"

"Ne, Akaya—"

"_Turn off the light!"_

"Rude Seaweed-Head." I grumbled, following his order before jumping on his bed next to him.

"What is it?" He asked. "Are you _sleeping _here?"

"Maybe."

"But we haven't slept together since we were kids!"

"Who cares?" I said, slipping under the sheets. "Anyway, I need to talk to you."

He rolled over to face me. "Save it for tomorrow!"

"I'm gone tomorrow!" I protested. "Help me out, please."

That one always worked on him. Akaya may have seemed like a weird rude kid, but he was actually pretty nice and funny. Of course that didn't stop us from insulting each other at times. "Fine. But take it back."

"Take what back?"

"The comment." He must be talking about the Seaweed-Head comment I had said before.

"I take it back. Happy?"

"Very. Now what was it you so rudely interrupted my sleep for?"

"Who is Echizen Ryoma?"

"Echizen Ryoma?" He asked. "He's the super rookie of Seigaku; a freshman. But even though he's a freshman he's got a lot of talent. I don't think I've ever seen him lose a match." He smirked, "But that will change when he goes against the captain."

"You say that he hasn't lost to anyone yet? Not even Sanada?"

"No, he beat him as well. There was a rumour that he beat Tezuka, but I don't know if that's true or not. And he's got a whole bunch of special moves as well as being able to copy them." Akaya scoffed. "He's not that big of an opponent."

And that was where his cool-guy act came in.

"He's a big part of Seishun Gakuen though. Their pillar of support."

"I see. Thanks for telling me, that's all I need to know."

"Are you thinking of playing him? He beat me, you know."

"So?" I snorted. "I beat you."

Akaya punched me lightly, his face dark. "Flukes." Although I don't know how numerous times could be called flukes, I went along with it as we talked about different things. When I came back, Akaya and his family would only be staying at our house for a few more days before it would be our turn to stay at his house for a month. I don't remember when I fell asleep, but it was after we were finished talking longer than we should have.

…

**Disclaimer:**This is a Prince of Tennis fanfiction. None of the characters, shows, manga, or movies is owned by me unless otherwise stated. Credit goes to the original owner.


	9. Don't be Carless

**Chapter Nine: Don't be Careless**

"Aoi! Akaya! Wake up this instant!"

"What the he—" I stopped the last word from slipping out of my mouth as I sat up, realizing that my mother, brother, grandmother, and Akaya's parents were staring at us. "What's wrong?"

"Make yourselves presentable and come to my study. We need to talk." My mother said, her tone dead serious.

"That goes for you too, Akaya." His parents said sternly.

"What did we do?" I asked Hikaru, scratching my head as Akaya sat up.

"You really are an idiot, Aoi." Hikaru said in a teasing voice.

"What?"

"Sure it was okay when you guys were kids but now that you are teenagers and you're engaged…sleeping together in the same bed doesn't look too great to our parents." He said.

Akaya and I groaned in unison. We knew that a long lecture was coming as I hurried to my room to dress and not let them wait too long. I brought my tennis bag as well as the drawstring bag I had intended to bring on the trip, knowing that when the lecture was finished I would want to leave the house as soon as possible.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Akaya and I said in unison. It was funny hearing him speak formally when I knew what he was really thinking, but the same must have been for me.

"What were you two doing, sleeping together last night?" My grandmother, as always, started off. "How improper of a lady!"

"It's a complete disrespect to Fuji-kun, who is your _fiancé _as well as disrespect to the Kirihara family, Aoi." My mother stated.

"We didn't do anything." I protested. "What's so wrong about sleeping together like we did as kids?"

"You're engaged now, Aoi." Akaya's mother said sternly. "There is no room for funny business."

"How is that funny business?" Akaya exclaimed. "All we did was literally _sleep _together!"

"Enough with that tone, Akaya!" His father barked.

"Why do you think I we call each other 'Aneki and Aniki'?" I asked, ignoring the comment and enraged. "We think of each other nothing more than siblings!"

"Enough! We ban you from going to Fuji-kun's summer home as well as to this ridiculous National tournament you have in your head!" My grandmother said.

"Wha—?" I started. "No."

"Watch who you're speaking to, young lady." My mother warned me. "You're lucky that the Kirihara's will not return to their home early because of this!"

"You don't get to decide where I can and cannot go!" I yelled.

"Yes we can, I am your mother. How dare you speak of such things?"

"I won't do it. I won't do the concur. Not if I can't go to Nationals and the summer home."

"Do you think you can decide?" My grandmother asked.

"If _I'm _the one actually _in _it, then _hell yes_, I think I can decide." I said, not bothering to 'watch my language'.

Before anyone could scold me any further, Hikaru piped in. "Alright, enough yelling! How about we all come to a happy compromise, yes? Aoi can go to Fuji's summer home and the Nationals if she wins first place in concur and she and Akaya apologizes."

"That sounds…formidable." Akaya's parents agreed, even though it had little to nothing to do with their son. His parents were always a lot nicer than mine, so I was glad that they agreed, setting the tone for my parents.

I knew that my mother and grandmother didn't like to compromise. They liked to have things their way, and only their way. My grandmother had a lot more power than my mother, but when my mother spoke first, I knew that she wouldn't disagree. "Alright. But since the summer home comes before the concur, should Aoi not place first, she must stay home for the week after improving on her manners." Damn, that was a big one for me. I hated the ladylike manner lessons.

Everyone nodded and turned to us, looking for our apology. "We are deeply sorry for the trouble we have caused." And although everyone knew that we didn't mean it, it sufficed for now as we excused ourselves and hurried out the door, my tennis bag and drawstring in tow.

"Sorry for dragging you in that." I said to Akaya as we started walking down the street. The air was slightly humid at about eight in the morning, half an hour before we were supposed to leave for the summer home. I texted Yumiko as we walked, telling her that I would be at the local tennis courts and not to go by my home.

"It's your fault to." He said, not bothering to disagree with me. "I had to say all that crap about being sorry."

"I hate how they are." I said as we came to the local tennis courts. No one was there except us since it was pretty early in the morning and even though I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, I was wide awake and burning with anger.

"You feel like punching a wall right about now, huh Aneki?" Akaya guessed. "Well, I always wanted to play tennis against you when you were pissed."

I hefted my bag onto the bench and took out two of the four racquets as well as a ball from my tennis bag. Then I handed one to Akaya as he didn't have much time to grab his. "One set match." I said, taking my place on the court. "You can serve."

Right off the bat, Akaya hit me with a Knuckle Serve. By now I was used to them, but this one seemed to have more power, and caught me off guard, sending me off my feet. I hated being hit with a Knuckle Serve though, it reminded of being hit in the stomach with a soccer ball and gave me more nausea the more times I got hit with it.

My body wasn't like Akaya's, or the other Seigaku regulars. I was a girl. Frail and weak, the probability of me forfeiting a match was higher than males. I had trained to fix that, but even I cannot go against my nature. Only suppress it.

As I got up, I smiled. "You've gotten stronger, Aniki." He didn't offer any apologies. We wouldn't be giving any until the match was over.

Up went another Knuckle Serve, but this time I embraced its power and used it to help me give a stronger return. "15 ALL." I said, "You sure you want to play me right now?" I wasn't mad at Akaya, not at all. But in this match, I would be burning my anger off towards him and I wanted to make sure he was prepared for that.

He smirked. "Are you trying to back out?"

I didn't want to be rude to him either, but right now all I wanted to do was play, and anything in the way seemed annoying and unneeded at the moment. "You'll wish that I did when I beat you." Of course that wasn't true either; no self-respecting tennis player ever would wish that their opponent would forfeit if they beat them.

All the anger than was contained in me from my parents and from being replaced by a freshman welled inside me as I played until I couldn't realize I was playing Akaya anymore. I only knew that I wanted to beat my opponent and make them feel the struggling emotions I felt. I won most of my service games with the Tamed Serve and as the game progressed, my stamina and power never faltered and grew more precise as we went through each game. The game continued for around twenty more minutes, and in that time not only did the score change, but the atmosphere did as well. We were both angry—me more than Akaya—but now we were having fun.

"Game, Aoi! 6-1!" I ended up calling.

He gasped for breath, racquet out of his hand and him panting on his knees. "You really are a monster. Why didn't you use your left hand?"

"I wanted to." I said, trying to give him credit. "I really did. But if I did that then it would be like a double-edged sword. You would have used Phantom Ball on me."

"But you know," I continued. "I think you'll definitely beat them someday. The three monsters of Rikkaidai. Start with Renji."

"And you."

"Not me."

We gulped down water on the bench and relaxed a bit as I got my phone out. The water tasted like candy and I couldn't get enough, but knew that if I drank too much I would get sick if I worked out afterwards.

_Damn, I couldn't get him to awaken, Seiichi. Sorry._

I got a reply after a few minutes of consuming water. _Don't worry about it. Rikkai has a plan to awaken our youngster during Nationals. _He replied eventually.

_ I guess that means I lose the bet. _I texted, though I tried to wait at least a minute before sending.

_ You will hold up your end of the bargain, right?_

This time I didn't hesitate to reply. A bet was a bet, and I wouldn't back out. Besides, the cost for losing wasn't big. Of_ course. _

Seiichi and I had made a bet while we were talking last night. Whoever could awaken Akaya first would get a treat at the Queen/Master Tournament if we played against each other. It wouldn't be an advantage, but it would force one of us to come out of our shells faster than we would have liked. And although I hadn't lost yet, I was pretty sure that the determined Seiichi would pull it off.

"Aoi!" I turned to the call of my name and found Yumiko with the regulars, a few freshman, and the coach, jumping out of a bus. It looked like more of a tour bus, grand as well. Putting my phone back in my bag along with my water, I stood to meet up with them.

"Why weren't you at your house?" Yumiko asked as they approached us.

"I sent you a text. Didn't you get it?" I asked, quirking my lips to the side.

She fished her phone out of her baby pink purse, flipping through her messages. "Ah, here it is. Sorry, Aoi. I don't check my phone too often." Yumiko said, freezing at the end of her sentence. "Inui sent me a message too yesterday…though I don't remember giving him my number…"

My eyes widened as I realized that it was the picture from the amusement park. Immediately I served a ball to hit the phone out of her hands, catching it midair before deleting the message and any trace of it.

"Aoi-senpai! What were you doing?" Momoshiro asked, having watched me serve a ball straight at someone.

It was only then that I realized that I could have hit Syusuke's sister and possibly receive a grudge for it. "Ah, Sorry! I didn't even think about that! I just had to delete—something."

I continued, "But that doesn't mean that I was deleting something random on your phone, Yumiko! I was just deleting a rather embarrassing text that Inui had sent a few people."

"Anyway, we should get going." Syusuke said, catching on to what I was doing. "We can talk on the bus."

I gave him an appreciative smile, which seemed to make Yumiko forget about everything else. "Awe, you guys are so cute! Alright let's go!"

"Aneki!" Akaya said from behind, catching my attention.

"I'll meet you guys inside the bus," I told the regulars before turning back to Akaya. "Sorry, Aniki. What are you going to do today? I don't think you should go back to the house…"

He laughed, "I don't plan to. I thought I'd go train somewhere. I'll last though; besides, their even more pissed at you than I."

"Urusai…."

"But that serve that you did, the one that doesn't bounce back up—"

"—the Tamed Serve—" I filled him in.

"—yeah. Isn't it like a zero-shiki drop shot?"

"You got me there. I based it off of Tezuka's zero-shiki; I thought it would be a good serve."

"But Aneki," he said. "To aqquire that serve you have to put a lot of spin on the ball so that it comes back. A lot more since there is no spin to start it off which means that it should put a lot more strain on your arm."

"I'm surprised that you noticed, Aniki." I said. "But you are right. I went to see a doctor before you had come to our house for a month."

"You went to see a doctor?" He repeated, running his hand through his hair. "You're such an idiot. Is there anything wrong with your arm?"

"Not yet. The burden on my arm isn't too much, surprisingly. It's been holding out better than the average _adult male_. So I think it's ok to use it whenever I want."

"No, it's not okay! Sure it's holding up now but that's not going to be the same result forever, Aneki." Akaya said. "Promise me that you won't use it too much. And if you do and it starts to hurt your arm, to stop for that match, okay?"

I nodded. "Alright, I promise." I meant it as well. I didn't want to stop playing tennis because I used a move too much. If it started to hurt, I would find a way around it. To be the Queen of Tennis meant that I couldn't have just one trump card and to know my limits.

"Good."

It was a longer talk than I thought it would be, so I wasn't surprised when I got a lot of complaints from the regulars about taking my time. I shook of Akaya's conversation and sheepishly apologized, taking the seat beside Tezuka and almost surprised that he wasn't sitting with Syusuke or Eiji.

We didn't exchange many words on the ride, but I tried to get to know the famours captain together. And in the hour or so ride to Syusuke's summer home I realized that in the serious composure of the captain was also a man who had a real heart for tennis and the team.

"Wakamiya, don't be careless." Tezuka said, his recognized saying, and one to take seriously.

I knew that he was talking about my arm. It was something we had in common. He probably knew that I wouldn't go too far unless I had to (and at that point, no one would be able to sway me). "I'll do my best, Captain."

…

**Disclaimer:**This is a Prince of Tennis fanfiction. None of the characters, shows, manga, or movies is owned by me unless otherwise stated. Credit goes to the original owner.


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